


ORACLE: MCCREE - HORSESHOES AND HAND GRENADES

by Joseikage



Series: OVERWATCH ORACLE [8]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:41:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23147125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Joseikage/pseuds/Joseikage
Summary: As Lorelai attempts to escape Overwatch, she is wrestled to the ground by the cunning and handsome Jesse McCree. She decides to put her faith in him, but quickly realises that years spent on the run as an outlaw have left him with trust issues; both towards other people, and himself. Will Lorelai be able to get close to him and soothe his troubled heart, or does 'close' only count in Horseshoes and Hand Grenades?
Relationships: Jesse McCree/Hanzo Shimada, Jesse McCree/Original Female Character(s)
Series: OVERWATCH ORACLE [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1647733
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own Overwatch. It's owned by Blizzard, of course! :P This is my story though, and I really hope you all like it! 
> 
> DISCLAIMER: There's going to be blood, sex, and death in this story. Some betrayal, and talk of abuse and alcoholism. It gets pretty real and deep sometimes. If any of these things are triggers for you, or you're under 18-21 years of age, this tale may not be for you.

Lorelai raced through the hallway and rounded the corner as the alarms blared overhead and red lights flashed wildly around her. She stopped dead in her tracks as the cowboy from earlier rounded the opposite corner and stood in her way. She remembered him from earlier and wondered if maybe he’d be more approachable than the other members of Overwatch. Even so, he seemed hellbent on capturing her just like everyone else.

“I want to leave!” Lorelai shouted defiantly.

“I’m sorry, but that can’t happen just yet. Not until we figure out some things about your... condition. Now come on, let’s go back.” He came towards her and reached for her arm, but she dodged swiftly and grabbed his hat, pulling it down over his head before diving off to the side and continuing her sprint down the hall. Behind her, she could hear him groan in frustration and curse. She turned back around and gave him a cheeky salute. Her slick manoeuvre didn’t phase him in the slightest. He relished the challenge, chuckling darkly as she sprinted after her.

She kept running, her heart racing as she looked back and saw him hot on her heels. A gasp escaped her, and she sped up her pace. After a few moments, he was gone from behind her.

 _Where did he go? Did I evade him?_ She wondered. Suddenly, she was swept off her feet and brought to the ground in a body lock. She grunted and squirmed in his arms, trying to free herself. She could feel Oracle attempting to help her out of the situation, but to no avail. The cowboy was much too strong and had gotten the jump on her.

_Oracle... do something! I need help!_

_“Assessing situation. Monitoring personality of Jesse McCree for response.”_ Oracle chimed in.

“No amount of squirmin’ is gonna get you out of here, darlin’. I used to be a rancher. Next to those horses, you’re just a timid little doe.” McCree drawled.

 _“Personality identified. Memory banks, voice pattern analysis, and body language indicate that there is a 92% chance that McCree is flirtatious. I suggest you catch him off guard.”_ Oracle informed Lorelai.

 _Flirtatious, huh?_ Lorelai smirked and stopped resisting, instead leaning into McCree’s hold on her.

“Is that your gun, cowboy, or are you just happy to be holding me like this?” She quipped, turning her head so that her lips were mere centimetres from his.

McCree’s lips parted and as he came close, almost closing the distance between them, he grinned wolfishly and declared, “That most certainly is my gun, and if you try to run or resist again, you’ll get to see just how good of a shot I really am.” Lorelai shot him a disapproving look.

“Surely you wouldn’t shoot a lady such as myself?” She inquired.

McCree scoffed, letting her go and helping her up before continuing, “Now see, you’re most definitely a woman, but I got the sense that you’re far from bein’ a lady.” Lorelai couldn’t contain herself any longer, and she let out a loud burst of laughter.

“To be honest, I was afraid of you, but you’re not what I expected you to be... Still... would you really shoot me if I ran again?” She asked him, looking up at him with a fearful expression. McCree’s flirtatious façade melted away and was replaced with a gentle gaze.

“My bullets are reserved for those whose souls have gone black. Yours is as white as snow.” His smile filled her with hope that maybe Overwatch wasn’t so bad after all.

Suddenly, an Omnic dropped down from the ceiling to stand next to McCree, and Lorelai fell backwards in shock.

“Damn it Genji, could you not be a ninja for five minutes?!” McCree cursed.

Genji let out a low chuckle. “My apologies. I was just watching everything. It looked like McCree had it under control, so I didn’t want to intrude. My name is Genji.” Lorelai, still in shock, slowly got to her feet, staring intently at the design of Genji’s body.

He didn’t look like any Omnic she had ever seen before. _...and that head shape almost looks like a helmet—Did he just breathe?! Omnics don’t breathe! But... that suit is too wound against his skin to just be a suit..._

“I’m Lorelai. Nice to meet you. You... you’re a... Cyborg?” She asked meekly. Genji’s head tilted to the side.

“You are very observant! Most Humans assume I am an Omnic, while most Omnics believe I am too Human to be one of them,” he admitted.

“There you are!” An angry-sounding Dr. Ziegler called from behind.

Everyone turned to see Dr. Ziegler flying over with a look of annoyance on her face. She landed right in front of the group and declared, “I put her in quarantine for a reason, and you two are breaking it! I haven’t even finished my medical examination of her yet! For all we know, she’s a living weapon that Talon is using to take us down from the inside!”

Lorelai shook her head fearfully. “I—I’m not, I swear! I would never be part of Talon! That was why..." Lorelai trailed off sadly as guilt overwhelmed her.

“’Why...’ what?” The doctor pressed.

“That was why... I tried to kill myself. I didn’t know what this Omnic was inside of me and I was afraid that Talon or someone worse might brainwash me into helping take over the world or even... into destroying it... If I can’t just live my life as a normal civilian, then I’d like to use my powers to help people.”

McCree let out a thoughtful grunt and stepped between Lorelai and Dr. Ziegler.

“Alright doc, you know I’m not one to go against your instruction—”

“Quatsch! _Bull!"_ The impatient doctor interrupted, placing her hands on her hips,

“ –but Ms. Lorelai seems alright to me. I don’t think she’s a danger to us, but even so, I won’t let my guard down. Besides, I don’t think it’s fair to her as a civilian to be locked up like this. It’s gotta be a shock for her. So, how’s about we go get those tests of yours done, and I keep an eye on her afterwards?” Dr. Ziegler growled under her breath and crossed her arms, her eyes trained on the floor deep in thought.

After a few moments, she looked up at Lorelai.

“Well, what do you think of this arrangement? Do you agree?” Lorelai nodded.

“I do. It’s better than being trapped in that soulless white box...”

She groaned and jokingly replied, “Don’t say that until you get to know Jesse.” Dr. Ziegler took Lorelai back to the white room, with McCree in tow, and placed a strange sort of helmet on her head. Then, without warning, the doctor drew her hand back and punched the unsuspecting woman in the face. Just before her hand met Lorelai’s smooth skin, Lorelai’s arm flashed up to knock it away. A machine nearby beeped loudly and printed out a long sheet of paper.

“Hey, what gives?!” Lorelai demanded, raising her arms defensively. Dr. Ziegler raised her arms in a symbol of peace and walked over to the machine.

“I apologise, and I won’t be attacking you anymore. It was necessary for the testing though. I needed to see if you were fully in control of yourself or if the AI within you sprang to life at certain moments.” Dr. Ziegler tore off the page and showed it to Lorelai.

“The two blue lines are your own brainwaves, but these two red ones that sprang up the moment I attacked are the ones belonging to the Omnic AI. It would seem that the AI takes over to defend you, but let’s see when else it comes to life.”

McCree sighed, grabbed a chair, flipped it around to sit backwards in it, and groaned under his breath, “This could take awhile...”

Two hours of testing later, the doctor concluded, “I do not believe you are in any immediate danger of this Omnic AI, however... it seems to follow whatever you say and go based on your commands... I need you to know that you aren’t in any danger from any of us here at Overwatch. If you saw any of us as a threat, the AI would target us for annihilation, as its prime directive is to keep you safe.” She cast an insistent glance at McCree, who rose from his chair and nodded at her.

“Look, I’m just worried is all. If you treat me with respect, you’ve got nothing to fear. My current opinion of Overwatch isn’t exactly high right now, but unless you shove me back in that white padded prison or threaten to hurt me, everything will be fine,” Lorelai explained.

“I hear ya, Pumpkin. Even so, I’m gonna be your escort for the time bein’,” The gunslinger drawled.

“Lovely, an armed guard...” Lorelai dismayed, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. “But you know, I guess I should be thankful. You _did_ save me from...” She went to say, “the Reaper,” but her mouth twitched, and her eyes began to water as she couldn’t call the man she had admired by anything but his name. “Reyes...” she sighed, lamenting what could have been.

McCree stared at her thoughtfully for a minute before placing his Human hand on her shoulder.

“I’m sorry. I know what it’s like to lose someone, especially someone you thought you knew...” Lorelai looked up and met his gaze evenly, searching his eyes for any trace of betrayal, but all she saw was sincerity coupled with understanding. “Now, the next couple of weeks will probably be a bit rough on ya because of everything you’re still gettin’ used to as a civilian, but I promise that I’ll be here for you. If you need anythin’ you can come to me,” he vowed, removing his hand from her shoulder and motioning for her to follow him. She trailed after him slowly, rueing the life that she could’ve had if not for this mishap.

_I would’ve just been a normal person... if only I hadn’t decided to be a curious little—_

“You’re scowlin’, you know. What’s on yer mind?” McCree inquired with a sympathetic grin.

Lorelai sighed and looked away from him. “Before this all happened, I was a cabaret singer... a really good one too. I was told I could go pro by several of my bosses... If only I hadn’t been so damned curious and laid my hand on that fucking briefcase!” Lorelai turned and kicked the wall hard, scowling angrily.

“Well... you could still become that singer you wanna be. Just because your life derailed a bit doesn’t mean you should give up on your dreams, ya hear?” The cowboy drawled thoughtfully.

 _He’s right... I could still be a great singer...but how?_ Lorelai wondered as they walked up to a hallway with multiple doors on each side of it. McCree walked over to the second door on the right and opened it up, tossing his hat on a nearby chair as he entered the room. Lorelai followed after him sheepishly, unsure of what to do. She had never lived with anyone else after moving out of her parents’ house, much less a guy. She closed the door after her and stood awkwardly in front of it, gazing around at the simple décor. The scent of cigars and whiskey filled her nostrils, but it was a welcome smell that reminded her of the Nevermore Pub she had worked at.

As she stifled back tears, McCree took a Cigar out of his pocket and lit it up, offering her a puff of it. She shook her head but thanked him quietly.

“Go on and make yourself at home here. It’s a bit messy, and it’s not much, but this is my haven.” On the wall were posters, news clippings, and some old pictures of McCree with some other people. Empty bottles of alcohol lined the tables, and some had spilled onto the floor. There wasn’t much furniture, only a bed, a couch, a dresser, and an end table. There was also a walk-in bathroom.

“I’m feeling kinda tired... where should I sleep?” Lorelai inquired, gazing around. “You can go on and take the bed. I’ll sleep on that there sofa.” He said softly, taking a long drag of his cigar. “Honestly, though, you really should eat somethin’. I’ll go get us some food. Feel free to rest up while I’m gone.” He puffed his cigar a few more times and put it out on the black ashtray that sat on the dresser.

As he opened the door, Lorelai stopped him. “W-wait. Aren’t you afraid that I’ll trash the place, or... or sneak around and kill everyone else, or... or do something just... really bad?” She demanded worriedly.

He snorted and countered, “First off, have you seen my room? How much more trashed can it get? Second of all, I don’t think you have the stomach to do anythin’ awful like what you said, but even if you were thinkin’ it, be warned... Most of us here are trained killers and assassins. You won’t be able to sneak up on almost anyone here, even with that Omnic in yer head. Now then, I’m off to get some grub for us. Reinhardt’s cooking is a thing o’ beauty. Get some shuteye while I’m away, ya hear?” Lorelai nodded shyly and crawled into his bed as he shut the door. As scared as she was, she somehow felt at home with him, and she gave in to the fatigue that plagued her.

The sound of rippling air awakened her, and she shot up, looking around. Her heart pounded, but as she saw no one around her, she began to take some deep breaths to calm herself.

“You were just dreaming... no one’s here...” She told herself, sighing and going to lie back down. Suddenly, a metal hand was at her throat and the claws on it dug into her flesh, causing large droplets of warm blood to ooze down her neck. A panicked gasp left her as she faced the one she had liked. She choked and struggled against him as he laughed maniacally.

“Am I really no one to you now?” He demanded, tightening his hold on her.

“Re...yes....!” Lorelai rasped, pulling desperately at his hands.

“The name... is Reaper!” he snarled, tearing her out of the bed by her neck and hurling her against the nearby wall.

“Lorelai!” He roared, flying at her in a rage, his ghastly form making him appear like a phantom.

“Lorelai!” He roared one more time, grabbing her by the shirt and rending it, slicing into her with the metal claws on his hands. He said her name again, but it instead sounded like McCree.

“Lorelai.”

_“_ _Defense mode activated.” Oracle droned._

Lorelai shot up out of bed, tackling McCree to the ground and choking him forcefully with one arm around his neck and the other, locking that arm in place. Her eyes glowed a brilliant golden colour.

He groaned loudly before chuckling darkly and croaking out, “Didn’t know you were into this typa stuff. You’re quite the wild card, ain’t ya?” She quickly came to her senses and let him go, stepping away from him quickly and apologising profusely. “Hey now, don’t worry about it. That was nothin’ just a little surprise wrestling session.” He said, rubbing his neck with a wink.

“I’m sorry... I had a nightmare. I didn’t mean to—” she began, backing up towards the bathroom.

“Hey, don’t even worry about it. You’re just fine. I shouldn’t have tried grabbin’ ya while you were in that sorta state. It was dumb of me.” He admitted. Lorelai shook her head as tears welled up in her eyes.

“No, you’re wrong. I’m... dangerous. I’m a danger to everyone.” She rushed into the bathroom and locked herself in before the cowboy could stop her.

He banged on the door with a meaty fist and objected, “You have to give yourself some leigh way here. What happened wasn’t your fault.”

“Yeah? Not my fault? What if I had actually grabbed your neck and snapped it, huh? What would anyone else have said?” She countered, backing up from the door, putting the toilet lid down, and sitting on it. She put her head into her hands and sobbed quietly, suddenly unsure of how she would be able to cope living with Oracle in her head.

_I'm just a stupid little civilian with war technology in her head, who doesn't belong here..._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blizzard owns Overwatch, but I own this story. Hope you enjoy it! ^_^
> 
> DISCLAIMER: Backstory, sexy things, and mentions of abuse and alcoholism are in this chapter. If any of these are a trigger for you, then please take caution as you read this. <3

On the other side of the door, McCree turned his back against the door, slid down to the ground, and pulled out a cigar. He looked down at it, about to light it, but something stopped him. He didn’t know what possessed him, but he put his lighter and cigar back in his pocket, took off his hat, and sighed deeply.

He cleared his throat, and to Lorelai’s surprise, he began to sing softly. “Hush, little cowboy no reason to cry. Your papa will sing you a sweet lullaby. Go to sleep cowboy no reason to fear. Cause all through the night I'll be here.”

Lorelai lifted up her head, wiped her eyes, and stared at the door, listening intently to him.

“I’ll round up the moon for your pillow. A blanket of stars for your bed. I'll round up a dream of tomorrow. To ride toward the good times ahead. The coyote is singin' this day to an end. The rockin' horse trail waits around the next bend. So, go to sleep cowboy your papa is here. And all through the night I'll be here. Lovin’ you, holdin’ you ever so dear. And all through the night I'll be here. Yes, all through the night I'll be here.”

Lorelai was taken aback by his sudden act of kindness.

 _He sang... to calm me down? Is that song special to him? It sounds like an old lullaby._ Lorelai took a deep breath, walked over to the door, sat down against it, and sang it back to him softly.

“Hush, little cowboy no reason to cry. Your mama will sing you a sweet lullaby. Go to sleep cowboy no reason to fear. Cause all through the night I'll be here. I’ll round up the moon for your pillow. A blanket of stars for your bed. I'll round up a dream of tomorrow. To ride toward the good times ahead.”

She heard McCree chuckle softly and he began to sing along with her in harmony. “The coyote is singin' this day to an end. The rockin' horse trail waits around the next bend. So, go to sleep cowboy your mama is here. And all through the night I'll be here. Lovin’ you, holdin’ you ever so dear. And all through the night I'll be here. Yes, all through the night I'll be here.”

They both beamed on opposite sides of the door, and Lorelai finally got up from her spot and slowly unlocked and opened the door, giving McCree a warm smile. He returned it and she helped him up.

“Feelin’ better?” He asked her softly.

“Much. Thank you.” She said graciously. She looked over at the table, saw the food, and quickly walked over to get it, setting up a small spot on the floor for the two of them to eat together. The meal was wonderful; roast beef and veggies with a cookie on the side. Everything was delicious and even though the two of them didn’t talk as they ate; they silently enjoyed each others’ company.

Finally, Lorelai broke the silence. “So... that was a lullaby, wasn’t it? Did someone used to sing that to you when you were little?”

McCree rose from his spot and grinned at her, quickly replying, “It’s a nice little song, ain’t it,” before walking over to his dresser and pulling out a bottle that was labelled, “High Noon Whiskey.”

 _He evaded my question... Maybe he doesn’t like to talk about his past too much... Fair enough._ He also grabbed two glasses before he walked back over to their dining spot on the floor.

“Maybe we should sit back a spell and have a drink. It’s a good way to relax at times, especially after a meal.” He offered, handing her a glass and pouring her some before he poured his own. She stared into it, swishing it around a bit before swallowing it in a big gulp.

“It has a nice bite to it. I wish it was Fireball Whiskey though. That is my all-time favourite drink,” Lorelai remarked, exhaling roughly to let the burn of the whiskey leave her throat.

“Well, ma’am, you’re in luck. As it so happens, I have that too.” He told her, retrieving a bottle of Fireball Whiskey from the drawer. She grinned and held up her glass to him. As soon as he poured her some, she gulped it down and smiled brightly, letting the spice sit in her throat a bit before she exhaled.

McCree chuckled and grinned devilishly at her before tossing one back himself and declaring, “I never pegged you for a Whiskey sort.”

Lorelai met his smile with an impish one of her own and bit back, “Well you’ve never pegged me at all, cowboy, but let’s just see how the night goes, shall we?” For the first time since she met him, Lorelai was surprised when he let out a loud bout of laughter and poured the two of them another drink.

They sat there in silence for a bit, just filling each others’ drinks until Lorelai asked him, “So... why are you... _wanted_?”

He stared at her seriously for a moment with a somewhat sad look in his eyes before he demanded, “I’m hurt, Lorelai! You really think there’s no one out there for a wrangler like me?” Lorelai threw her head back laughing and McCree smiled.

“No, sorry! I meant why do you have a bounty out on you? If it’s too personal then...”

“No, no. I guess since you’re stayin’ with me for a bit, you deserve to know. It’s a really long story, but here’s the short of it.” He took a long swig of his drink and began, “Back in the day, I used to be part of the Deadlock Gang. Did a bunch of bad shit. I wracked up quite the bounty. Don’t worry though. Now, I’m straight. I’m making amends for the things I’ve done by helping save the world with Overwatch.”

Lorelai’s eyes lit up with intrigue. “Wow, I bet there’s so much you could teach me! Could you train me? Please?” She begged him.

“Whoa there, one step at a time. I suppose I could give you a few shootin’ lessons, or some hand-to-hand combat, but we’ll just have to see what Dr. Ziegler wants to do with ya. You may just be staying here as a civilian guest so we can protect you from Talon.” He said, holding his hands up.

“Aww, alright...” She sulked, puffing her bottom lip out at him before taking another sip of her drink. McCree couldn’t help but think about how cute she was when she pouted like that.

“Well, I mean... I _guess_ I could take you to the training rooms tomorrow, if you really wanna go?” he relented.

“I do!” She declared, eyes lighting up once more.

McCree grinned and took another drink, swishing it around in his glass nonchalantly as though he was deep in thought about something. Lorelai bit her lip, eyeing him furtively for a moment and taking another sip of Whiskey. Then, she too, looked down at her glass.

_I’d like to get to know him better. I mean, if I’m going to be staying with him and all, I’ll have to trust him, won’t I?_

_“Affirmative,”_ Oracle chimed in.

Lorelai almost sighed and rolled her eyes. _Oracle, can I get some privacy please? I don’t want you listening to my thoughts right now..._

_“Very well. When you would like for me to return, just command me to reactivate.”_

_Thank you, Oracle._

Lorelai smiled as she turned to the handsome cowboy and raised her glass.

“I have an idea. We don’t know each other much at all, so how about we fix that? Wanna play a drinking game with me, cowboy? The game is ‘Never Have I Ever,’” Lorelai invited him.

He looked hesitant, his smile dropping ever so slightly, but then he shrugged and replied, “Sure thing, but you know, I’ve been known to win at drinkin’ games. Especially this one. I’m pretty good at sizing people up.”

She got closer to him with a flirtatious sneer on her face as she countered, “Well, I’ve never been known to lose, and I fancy myself a _very_ good judge of character.” He chuckled darkly and narrowed his eyes.

“Ladies first.”

She thought for a moment and then quickly declared, “Never have I ever ridden a horse.”

McCree clicked his tongue and took a shot of whiskey. “I feel like that’s prejudiced. Guess I’m just easy to read though. Alright then, Pumpkin... Never have I ever sung on a stage before.”

Lorelai giggled and took a drink. “Touché. Umm, okay... never have I ever... shot a gun before!”

“Really? In this day and age?” Lorelai shook her head, grinning wildly as he took another drink.

“Fine. Never have I ever... been to college.” 

“HA!” Lorelai exclaimed, “That makes two of us!”

“Bullshit!” McCree yelled back, crossing his arms. “I took you for one of those hoity toity Ivy League College types...”

Lorelai squinted at him and replied haughtily, “I am self taught. I’m not sure whether or not I should be insulted by your insinuation.”

“Definitely not. You’re way more interesting than I first thought you to be.” McCree said quickly.

Lorelai rolled her eyes and continued, “Whatever, Cowboy. Never have I ever smoked a cigar.”

McCree narrowed his eyes, but his smile remained. “Now that’s just cheatin’.” He protested, taking a drink anyways. “Alright lemme see then... Hmm, okay. Never have I ever had an Omnic in my head. Since we’re statin’ the obvious.” Lorelai groaned and took a shot, thinking through the next thing she was going to guess about him.

Then, she grinned, remembering what Oracle had told her about him earlier. “Never have I ever been in trouble with the law.”

McCree’s smile dropped from his face and his eyes darkened.

 _Oh shit... I’ve struck a nerve._ He scowled at her now, took his shot, and looked her up and down before declaring, “Never have I ever run away from home.”

Lorelai gasped and furrowed her brow as old memories started to resurface; memories she had tried very hard to forget. She took another shot. 

_He wasn't kidding when he said he was good at sizing people up, then. Well, I'm good at that myself!_ _Alright, Cowboy, let’s play._

“Never have I ever lost an arm!” She snarled.

The cowboy glared at her as he drank his next shot, sized her up once more, and replied bitterly, “Never have I ever had mommy issues.” Lorelai’s heart sank in her chest as one of the memories she had suppressed resurfaced to haunt her.

Hands shaking, heart pounding, eyes tearing up, she took her shot and growled, “Never have I ever had daddy issues.”

McCree continued glaring at her and took another shot. “Guilty. Never have I ever had a whiny little wannabe singer with a goddamned Omnic in her head take my feelings into consideration while playing a stupid ass drinking game, even after I did so much to help her out.”

Lorelai took another shot and griped back, “Never have I ever had a wannabe John Wayne be a gentleman and realise that I wasn’t trying to hurt his feelings, when I really just accidentally went somewhere I wasn’t supposed to with this game, and instead of attacking me actually just let me know that I hurt him, since he knows it’s been a rough fucking few days for me!”

McCree’s lip curled into a snarl and he took another shot before finishing with, “Never have I ever had a moment in life where I felt like I actually had somewhere I belonged!”

Lorelai went to one-up him, but then realised the truth: that she and McCree weren’t so different after all.

She put her glass down and grabbed the bottle of Fireball whiskey, unscrewing the top and taking big gulps of it before declaring, “You and me both...”

They sat in silence for a bit, McCree grabbing the other bottle and taking several swigs, before Lorelai admitted, “I grew up with a loving father and abusive mother. She used to drink and smack me around and call me a little bitch... She told me I’d never amount to anything and that she would always rue the day I was born. My father died in a car accident when I was ten, but it wasn’t till I was fifteen that I ran away. I lived on the streets for a bit, lying about my age and getting fake IDs to work odd jobs. It’s a wonder I never got caught."

"I worked for a long time at both a martial arts studio and a restaurant. I slept in an alley in the back of the restaurant until the manager caught me there. He gave me a bonus and set me up at an apartment, but I felt awful that I had to rely on him. He was killed by some thugs a year and a half after that, and I ran again. I went from town to town doing more odd jobs and things until I found myself in Paris...”

She took another swig of the Whiskey and began to feel a fuzziness from the alcohol. “That’s when I began to work at another martial arts school and then at a restaurant. I would also babysit on the side. An acquaintance of mine who I babysat for told me I had a lovely singing voice and informed me of some cabaret bars around town. I applied to several, but the only one that would take me was the Nevermore Pub.”

“I’ve felt useless and unaccomplished everywhere I’ve gone. I’ve watched my back and taken no shit from anyone all these years... I don’t belong anywhere.” She finished, taking a long swig and finishing off the bottle before placing it beside her.

McCree stared at Lorelai thoughtfully before sympathising, “I grew up on a small ranch. I was workin’ from the age of five. My daddy would come home drunk after a hard day of work and start beating on me, but my mother would step in and take the brunt of it. After the beatings, she’d sing that lullaby to me and tell me that one day things would be better."

"She died when I was thirteen from repeated concussions she had sustained from my father’s fists, but he played it off that she had tripped and fallen down the stairs. One day, my father tried to beat on me, but I was too big for him. I was fifteen years old when I beat the shit outta him and left home, tellin’ him I wasn’t gonna be his punchin’ bag no more. I stole a horse and high-tailed it outta there.”

“I was livin’ real rough out on route 66. Me and my horse survived on the lay of the land. I learned to hunt real quick, and fish too. Water was scarce, but I managed to find caverns around with fish and clean water to drink. One day, I got picked up by the Deadlock Rebels, a gang of misfits and ne’er-do-wells who had created a little family of their own. I met their leader, Ashe, and we became best friends. We were like siblings even, for awhile, and she taught me that if the world shits on you, you give it hell right on back."

He chuckled in reminiscence and smiled sadly as he took another swig of whiskey.

"I thought that if I was gonna be bad, I’d be the worst I could be. I helped them rob banks, smuggle weapons around, and much more. I was eventually captured by Overwatch in a sting operation. I was given two options, rot in prison all my life, or join Blackwatch, a covert sector of Overwatch, and help save the world. Then, there was in-fightin’ and somethin’ I hadn’t expected... my mentor, Gabriel Reyes... went off the rails."

His lips curved into a frown and a grave expression washed over his face as he took several large gulps of whiskey and continued. 

"My other mentor, Ana... she was killed by an enemy sniper. Well... she wasn’t an enemy sniper, but someone who we all knew that went turncoat and joined Talon. I got out before things got really hairy, but I’ve been on the run all my life. I’ve got a sixty-million-dollar bounty on my head. It’s been there since before I joined Blackwatch. I spent years on the run, takin’ odd jobs and tryin’ my best to help those who needed it and make the world a better place. Now though, Overwatch is making a comeback. Even so...”

McCree stopped, eyeing the bottle in his hands in dismay before taking a long swig to finish it off, “I’m still not sure who to trust or where I fit in...”

Lorelai stared at him sadly before turning her head downwards guiltily.

 _I shouldn’t have engaged with him like I did. He’s been through so much hell in his life..._ She thought to herself.

She lifted her head and reached over to place a hand on his shoulder to comfort him, but he pulled away from her, rose from his spot woozily, kicked off his boots, and headed over for the couch.

“Goodnight, Lorelai,” he told her, lying down, turning away from her, and closing his eyes. Lorelai stumbled over to the bed sadly, climbed into it, and turned off the light, rolling over and closing her eyes. She was able to slip out of consciousness for a brief second, but the face of Reaper flashed into her mind, scaring her awake.

She jumped up and turned the light back on, breathing heavily.

“M-McCree?” She cried, her lip trembling.

“What is it?” He asked, eyes narrowed at her as he rolled over to look at her.

“I... I can’t be alone right now... It might be dangerous for you to join me, but... I’ll try my best not to hurt you. Please share the bed with me...” She pleaded. The cowboy sighed and stumbled over to the bed, sliding into it, shutting off the light, and turning away from her. She stared at his back for a moment in hesitation before wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly.

“I’m... I’m sorry for the things I said to you. You deserve so much better than having to deal with me. I know you’re stuck with me, so I’ll try my best to be good to you. I’m sorry I hurt you, McCree,” she apologised, letting go of him and waiting for his response.

“Water under the bridge, Lorelai. I’m sorry for hurtin’ you as well. Let’s both just go to sleep and let the alcohol run its course. Goodnight,” He said quickly without looking at her. Her eyes welled up with tears as she realised how badly she had hurt him.

“Never have I ever met someone as amazing as you,” she told him honestly.

McCree sighed, not fully listening, but annoyed with Lorelai’s game.

“Look, hon, that game’s caused nothin’ but trouble,” he protested.

“Never have I ever met someone with a soul as bright and lively as yours,” she continued.

“Lorelai...” McCree was fed up, and still not fully listening.

However, as she said the words, “never have I ever seen someone as strong as you, whose spirit fills me with hope for the future,” he turned around and stared at her pensively.

“Well, you’re just full of shit, ain’t ya? You tryin’ ta butter me up?” A slick smiled spread across his face. Lorelai shook her head sadly.

“I mean it. You’re a beautiful person, McCree. I don’t lie, or rather... I try my best not to. I meant what I said,” she affirmed.

He scoffed warm-heartedly, pushing back the emotions he felt and uttered a brusque, “Thanks, Lorelai.” He turned back over and stared at the wall blankly, conflicted about his feelings. The alcohol didn’t help much either.

“Never have I ever had a cowboy hold me in his arms...” She suddenly cooed. He leaned over slightly, gave her a sly side-eye, and raised one brow. She shrugged at him, smiling, and he sighed and relented, pulling her into his arms.

She chuckled as he held her.

“What is it?” He demanded. She stared into his eyes with a devilish expression on her face.

“That time I did lie, but only because I wanted you to hold me,” she admitted.

McCree clicked his tongue, grinned, and shook his head.

“Darlin’, you’re incorrigible.”

She looked up at him with wide, mesmerizing eyes, smiled warmly, and added, “Even so, I’ve never had a cowboy as handsome, kind, or strong as you hold me close.” McCree gaped at her for a moment, unable to believe the words that were coming out of her mouth. He’d been on the run for so long that he forgot what it was like to have someone care about him. He didn’t trust it.

He looked away from her still holding her, deep in thought about his last relationship many years ago. _She reminds me so much of that girl I met just a year after leaving Overwatch. A year being on the run. We had some good times together, until she..._

His thoughts were interrupted by Lorelai, who snuggled into him and stroked his hair softly. She began to sing him the Cowboy’s lullaby, and he started to drift off.

“And all through the night I'll be here. Yes, all through the night I'll be here,” she finished, smiling at his relaxed face. Then, she vowed, “Tomorrow will be better for both of us, I promise. I’ll _make_ it better.”

McCree’s eyes flashed wide open in shock as he recalled what his mother used to promise him each night as a kid.

 _“One day, things’ll be better, but tomorrow’ll be better for both of us, I promise. I’ll make it better. I’ll protect you.”_ He turned his head towards her quickly, eyes narrowed at her, searching hers fervently. To his surprise, he found nothing but empathy and sincerity in her eyes. Something about how honest and pure she was made him yearn for her, and he closed the distance between the two of them, pressing his lips against hers and pulling her close to him.

Though taken by surprise, Lorelai kissed the cowboy back passionately, running her hands through his hair as her lips brushed his. He deepened the kiss, thrusting his tongue into her mouth, and she melted into it, beginning to help him out of his clothing. He grabbed her by the arms then and pulled out of the kiss hesitantly.

“We... we shouldn’t be doin’ this... You’re under a lot of stress right now, and this may not help anythin’.” McCree declared. The two of them panted heavily, leaning towards each other and yearning for more.

_He’s got a point, but even so, I want him..._

“You’re the first person I’ve wanted to be with in a long time. I’ll be damned if I’m going to let this moment pass. Unless... you don’t want to...?” She questioned him, leaning into him more, her lips just inches away from his.

“I never said that...” Lorelai chuckled as he leaned in and kissed her roughly.

She pulled his shirt off over his head and then started unbuttoning his pants, yanking off his belt. She stared at it for a moment just now realising what it said and smiled at the lettering on it.

“BAMF? Really? Have you earned that title?” Lorelai inquired slyly, waving his belt in the air.

“I could sit here and tell you all about it, but how 'bout I let my actions speak for themselves?” McCree flirted back at her.

“Ooh, yes, sir.” She tossed his belt aside and climbed on top of him.

There was a quickly growing bulge in his pants, and Lorelai smirked. “That’s most certainly not your gun, this time,” she quipped, pulling his throbbing member out of his pants. He let out a soft groan at her touch as she licked her hand and rubbed his length up and down roughly. He let out several groans, pulled her shirt off her head, and slid his right hand underneath her bra, fondling her firmly.

She leaned forward as she rubbed him and pressed her lips against his. Then, she began to flirtily tease him, going in to kiss him and then pulling away at the last moment. As she grinned mischievously, the cowboy growled in frustration. He reached over and grabbed his hat, placing it on his head before he yanked his pants off, and reached over to his nightstand, pulling out a lasso. He then proceeded to wrap it tightly around her arms and tie her against the headboard of the bed.

“Oh, so this is how we’re gonna play this?” Lorelai demanded, struggling against her restraints.

“Hey, you started it by teasin’ me! Didja think there’d be no retaliation?” He countered, smiling down at her. She squirmed one more time, trying her best to escape and he leaned down to her ear and added, “Oh, Darlin’ please... I was a rancher, remember? You’re not gettin’ outta those binds unless I _let_ you out, and I won’t do that unless you’re a good girl for me.”

A shiver rolled through Lorelai at the sound of his closeness and the feeling of his breath on her ear, and she shot him a pouting look before she used her legs to grab the cowboy’s hat off his head and bring it over to her own. McCree’s mouth dropped open and his eyes looked her up and down lustfully. Then, Lorelai wrapped her legs around the burly man’s body, yanking him into her roughly. He fell onto her and chuckled darkly as he leaned in and bit her savagely in the neck, putting his thigh in between her legs and making sure to press his knee straight into her crotch.

Lorelai moaned loudly and squirmed against him, only serving to entice him further. He bit her continuously down the side of her neck and continued down her chest, ripping her bra off of her before sucking hard on her left breast. He savoured the gasps and moans she made as he pleasured her, and his left hand reached down and undid her pants. He slid them off of her to reveal her black lace panties.

“Cute... Let’s see what’s beneath, shall we?” He teased her, feeling the outside of them to see just how wet she was. She was soaked.

His eyes lit up playfully, but his brows narrowed mischievously. “What do you think, darlin’? Do you want me?” He toyed with her clit, rubbing it hard with his cybernetic hand as he waited for a response.

Lorelai immediately spasmed against his touch, the feeling of the metal against her skin making her even more aroused, and moaned, “Ahh! Mmn, yes...!” McCree let out a short, victorious chuckle and slid her panties off of her. He tested her entrance with one finger, and it slid into her too easily. He tried with two though and it was a perfect fit. Without hesitation, he waved his fingers around inside her, leaned down, and began to suck and lick at her clit. Lorelai spread her legs wider and her feet splayed as she felt herself getting super aroused.

More than anything, she wanted to jump the cowboy there and then, but her restraints were preventing her from moving. She cried out loudly as McCree began to speed up inside of her.

“Mmm, McCree...! Give it to me! I want you... uhn... now!” She cried, writhing in desperation.

He lifted his head up to stare into her eyes, and declared, “Sorry darlin’, but this cowboy’s not done just yet. Plus, you don’t seem like you really want it to me.” He moved his hand even faster inside of her and Lorelai gasped and groaned, digging her feet into the bed.

“Please...! Ah...! McCree!” She begged as her breathing sped up even faster and her vision began to grow hazy. Her insides rippled as she was about to cum and she writhed on the bed repeating, “McCree,” in desperation.

McCree chuckled darkly, eyeing her panting, fatigued form as he took his fingers out of her. She moaned in frustration, wholly unsatisfied that she wasn’t able to finish. “The best part about this is that I can keep torturing you all night. I’m still waiting for you to act like you really want me. Until then, I’m gonna torment you till you scream...” There was a dark look in his eyes that both intrigued Lorelai and disturbed her.

_What does he want me to do or say? I want him..._

“Please... McCree... untie me so I can pleasure you. I want to touch you.” She begged, widening her legs and thrusting her hips forward.

“No. Not until you tell me what I wanna hear,” he growled in a sultry yet intimidating tone of voice.

“What do you want me to say?”

“It’s not what I want you to say, it’s what I want you to scream,” he continued, thrusting three fingers inside of her roughly and without warning.

She yelped, “M-McCree! Please... ugh, McCree!” He clicked his tongue and began to toy with her clit with his metal hand while his fingers gyrated inside of her.

“Sorry, sugar. That doesn’t sound nice enough to me. He went even faster inside of her and Lorelai groaned loudly as her breathing sped up. She was nearing climax again.

 _What did he mean, ‘doesn’t sound nice enough?’ I’m screaming his name...! Unless..._ A ripple of pleasure wracked her body and she let out another moan.

“McCree! Mc...Cree! Please...! Uhn! Give me everything...! I want you now... please!” She begged, writhing against her restraints.

“Sorry, darlin’ that’s just not what I want to hear.” He got her right to climax and then pulled out of her again, leaving her a squirming, twitching mess. She moved her arms feebly, trying again to break loose of the cowboy’s knot. He clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“We’re gonna be here all night, ain’t we?” He teased her, flicking her clit every so often and leaning in to bite her right nipple.

“I know... what you want... me to scream...” She finally panted, eyeing him with frustration.

“Oh? Is that so?” He asked, lifting his head and meeting her gaze. He raised an eyebrow at her, daring her to continue.

“I won’t scream it until you kiss me like you mean it, cowboy,” she told him, staring at him evenly and not breaking her serious, frustrated glare.

McCree’s eyes narrowed but his smile widened as he sat his length on her mound, leaned into her, and kissed her ravenously, groping every part of her he could. She moaned loudly between kisses, and without warning, she yanked her body back and then hooked her legs around his back, shifting her hips forward and shoving his bulging cock deep inside of her. They both groaned at this sudden entry and McCree even bit down on Lorelai’s lip in shock. Blood pooled on her bottom lip.

“Oh shit, I’m so sorry, darlin’ I—” he began, but she quickly leaned her head forward and kissed him passionately; making him lap up her wound. She began to grind against him and heard the softest moan escape him.

As she pulled him roughly towards her in a sharp thrust, she moaned into his ear, “Ride me hard, Jesse. I wanna feel you inside of me.” Jesse McCree chuckled once more, reached up and loosened her restraints ever so slightly.

“That’ll do just fine.” He purred, beginning to thrust slowly in and out of her. She moaned at his touch as he rubbed her clit and her right breast, and as she struggled against her restraints, this time, she found that if she twisted her hand a certain way, it would loosen them more.

She was already close to orgasm, but she didn’t know how close he was. She wanted to pleasure him.

“Ahh! Jesse! Please... harder... A-almost...!” She cried out, pulling at her restraints. He pounded into her now, running his hands along her ribs and up her chest, creating a sensation that drove her wild. “Jesse...! Jesse! Ah...! Jesse!” She screamed as her insides spasmed and her breathing grew more and more shallow. She finally came, letting out a loud moan and finally breaking free of her restraints and gripping onto Jesse’s back with her nails. He groaned and went even faster now, but Lorelai could see him getting fatigued. She pushed him to flip him over and began riding him now, letting him take a break.

_Oracle reactivate._

_“I am here Lorelai,”_ The Omnic responded.

_Can you help me tie knots? I wanna make sure this cowboy’s hands don’t wander._

_“Downloading and Installing information about knot-tying.”_

McCree saw Lorelai’s eyes flash gold for a moment and cocked his head in confusion, but he was taken aback by her as she quickly tied his hands to the bedpost.

She sat on top of him and grinned wolfishly at him as he struggled against the restraints.

“Oh my, doesn’t this look familiar?” She teased him, running one of her nails down his body and sending a shiver through him.

He scowled at her. “Usin’ your Omnic to help you tie knots is cheatin’. Besides, I don’t care to be tied up. Let me loose,” he demanded.

Lorelai frowned sadly. “You won’t even give me a chance? There are so many things I want to do to you... Why don’t you let me take control for a bit, hmm?” She rubbed her hand across his face and began kissing him tenderly. His expression melted into something soft and warm, and she moved the kisses down his neck, chest and stomach and finally down to his crotch. There, she took his length into her mouth and sucked it hard, moving back and forth at a slow pace.

He let out a slight groan and took in air sharply as she added a hand that played with his balls.

“How’s that, Cowboy?” She teased, continuing to blow him even harder. She then spread his legs out and eyed his form, smiling mischievously as she stuck her middle and ring fingers inside of her wet pussy and got them well-lubricated before sticking them inside of his ass slowly and carefully.

She felt around for his prostate and began to rub it, eliciting a loud growl of pleasure from the prostrated cowboy.

“S-stop... stop!” He roared. Lorelai gently pulled out of him and backed away, scared that she had done something wrong.

He panted heavily and nodded over to the nightstand. “Bottom drawer. Pick one to wear and fuck me right.” Lorelai leaned in and kissed him passionately before searching the drawer she told him to. She saw a pretty sizeable collection of fun, pleasurable toys to choose from and she bit her lip in anticipation. She finally settled on a thick, eight-inch vibrating strap on with a vibrator for the wearer that was adjustable between anal and vaginal.

“This will be good,” she crowed. She carried it over to him and sat in front of him teasingly, putting the dildo into her pussy repeatedly and watching him struggle against his restraints.

“You like to watch, Jesse?” She asked him, biting her lip.

“Not as much as I like to take action.” He bit back, frowning. She chuckled, hurriedly got it on and sat on top of him, placing one hand on his abs and the other, grabbing his length, giving it a sharp tug.

“You ready to be ridden, cowboy?” She demanded, flashing him a wild grin.

“Hell yeah...” She walked up his body and got closer to his mouth.

“Suck it. Now,” she commanded, maintaining her grin.

He raised one eyebrow as if to say, "Excuse me? Who are you to be givin' me orders?"

“You better make it wet, or it’s goin’ in dry,” she warned, beginning to move back down threateningly. He wrapped his legs around her to keep her there and took her into his mouth, sucking and spitting on it.

“That’s right, cowboy. Give me a show...” She said, grabbing a fistful of his hair and helping him along. He let out a stifled groan and she relaxed her hold on him more.

“Enough.” She said when it was wet. She leaned forward and kissed him deeply, breathing in to take his breath away before she slowly inserted her cock into him. His eyes glazed over with pleasure and she slowly humped him, pleasuring his length with her hand. A groan escaped him, and she quickly repeated her breath-taking kiss, causing him to gasp for air. She smiled darkly at him, relishing in his pleasure.

“What’s my name, cowboy?” she demanded, still humping him at a slow pace. He said nothing, lost in his pleasure. She stole his breath several times more in succession and pounded into him harder, gasping along with him as the vibrator inside of her picked up in intensity.

“What’s... my name?” He moaned loudly.

“L-Lorelai!”

“Damn straight,” she responded, leaning forward and going as fast and hard as she could. She stole his breath several times more, but then had a thought. She slowed her pace as she looked over at the nightstand and grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniel’s that was sitting there half empty.

“Let’s finish this, shall we, Jesse?” She poured some into her mouth and kissed him, passing it into his as she continued to slowly thrust into him. She poured a small amount of it on his chest and lapped it up, kissing him and sucking him roughly. Then, she poured some into her hand and offered it to him. He kissed, licked and bit it desperately, and she heard his breathing speed up and knew he was close to climaxing.

She poured some on his abs and lapped that up too, biting him and leaving her mark on him as she pounded faster into him.

“Ah! Fuck! Lorelai!” He moaned loudly as she rammed him.

She began to moan as well, her vibrator going crazy inside of her. “Mm! Jesse...!” She cried out, slowing her pace down. She poured another shot in her mouth and pressed her lips against his, pounding into him and kissing him ravenously. She repeated that four times, before she slowed her pace down, drawing out their climaxes a bit longer and tormenting Jesse.

She sped up once more, going faster and harder, and she poured one more shot into her mouth, bending over to share the drink with him and kissing him passionately, stealing his breath away. His breath came out in short gasps and she knew he must be close, so she stopped and went at a slow, antagonizing pace.

“Mm! Lorelai...! Please... darlin’, come on, now...” He begged her, writhing just as she had. She untied his hands, took another sip of Whiskey, sat him up slightly, and kissed him roughly, sharing another drink with him and ravenously kissing him, refusing to let him go. Then, she entered him once more. His hands wandered over her body as she pounded into him, and one of her hands stroked his length. She moaned as she went faster and harder and felt the vibrator speed up inside of her.

McCree let out several gasps and grunts as he tried to hold back his climax, and he reached down and rubbed at Lorelai’s clit.

“Ahh! Jesse!” She cried, arching her back. “Cum with me, Jesse! Hold on just a little longer...!” He groaned, reached over for the bottle of whiskey and poured the remaining amount on her breasts.

“My... turn...” He breathed, sucking and biting and lapping it up. He bit and sucked at her left breast, leaving a deep purple bruise on it.

“Mmm! Ahh! Jess... Jesse!”

“You’re mine now, Lorelai...” He said, feeling a haze coming on from the alcohol.

Lorelai sped up, humping him even harder and stroking him quickly as her orgasm came upon her.

“Ahh... I’m coming... Jesse! Jesse! Oooh! You’re so good, Jesse! Ah!” She moaned.

“Lorelai! Ah... fuck me hard, Lorelai! Ungh! Harder!” She went even harder and he let out a yelp now. Jesse let out a cry of pleasure and his dick twitched wildly, spewing cum onto Lorelai’s chest as he lie breathed raggedly and moaned repeatedly. His dick sprayed once more and she let it go, focusing on thrusting into him faster and faster as she came.

“Jesse!” She screamed, moaning his name repeatedly as she fell over on top of him and twitched repeatedly. “Ahh... ah.... too... much..! Jesse... help!” She cried out as the vibrator wouldn’t stop.

He quickly turned it off, undid the strap-on and pulled it out of her, chuckling at her.

“Careful now, sweetheart. Too much of a good thing can be bad for ya.” He warned, stroking her face.

“Even too much of you?” She flirted, grinning coyly. He gaped at her, trying to figure out why she still wanted him after the good time they had, but he was hazy from the alcohol.

 _Can’t get too attached. This was a one-time thing._ He remembered, removing his hand from her face. He grinned and helped her off of him, avoiding her question.

“Come on, let’s go get cleaned up.” They went to the bathroom together and took quick showers separately before heading back to bed. Lorelai rolled over and snuggled against the cowboy, smiling contently.

He eyed her smile sadly, still reminiscent of the woman he dated long ago while he was on the lam.

“Hey, uh... Lorelai. Can we not cuddle up? It’s kinda hot for that,” he lied.

“Oh... sorry!” She exclaimed, moving away from him to give him space. “I had a great time tonight, Jesse. Thank you. Hopefully, you had fun as well.” She told him graciously.

“You bet I did. Goodnight, Lorelai.”

They both rolled over and fell into a peaceful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song in this story is "A Cowboy's Lullaby" by John Schneider from the TV Show Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blizzard owns Overwatch, but this story is mine :) Hope you enjoy it!

Lorelai yawned and stretched. She rubbed her bleary eyes and opened them to see Jesse McCree naked, passed out next to her with the blanket covering his lower half. She looked over at the clock on the nightstand.

 _Oh wow... It’s already 9:30am!_ She realised. She climbed out of bed, wincing at her sore muscles and the bruises along her body, and got dressed in her clothing before sneaking out of the room and heading downstairs.

“There’s got to be some food around here that I can bring back for both of us...” She thought aloud, searching for a dining hall. She found Dr. Ziegler instead.

“Good morning!” Lorelai greeted her. The doctor smiled at her and approached.

“How was your first night? Are you doing alright?” She inquired.

“It was good! I’m alright I think, just hungry. McCree is still asleep, so I wanted to bring him some food.”

“Hmm, that’s odd. He’s usually awake by now... is he well?” She demanded, a look of concern in her eyes.

“Oh! He’s fine. We just... stayed up last night drinking and talking. There was a lot to talk about.” Dr. Ziegler raised an eyebrow suggestively and Lorelai pretended not to notice.

“Well, anyways, let me show you to the dining area. There’s still plenty of food for you and McCree.” She said, leading the way.

When they arrived, Angela waved goodbye to Lorelai and declared pointedly, “I have to go back to my work, so I’ll talk to you later. Also, Lorelai, I’m not a fool. What may have started out as talking, definitely wasn’t by the end of the night.” She smirked at Lorelai, who blushed and crossed her arms, smiling shyly as she waved goodbye to the Doctor.

“So, what happened at the end of the night?!” Reinhardt bellowed behind her, scaring her out of her skin and doubling her embarrassment.

“Reinhardt! Good to see you! Is there food left? Boy, am I starving!” She deflected his question, walking past him into the kitchen and putting some bacon, eggs, and pancakes on a few plates. Once she had the food in her possession, she made her way back upstairs and cracked open the door to see McCree sitting hunched over on the bed, smoking a cigar with a sullen, lonely expression on his face. He hadn’t noticed her yet.

“Hey there, cowboy.” He looked up in shock as though he was surprised to see her. In truth, he thought she had used him as a one-night stand and was ready to betray him. Or at least, that was his fear. She was still a stranger to Overwatch, after all.

“Hey. Where’d you go?” He demanded, the gloomy expression still lingering on his face.

“Just downstairs to get us some breakfast. I’m sorry if I startled you, and I'm sorry I left without waking you up. You just had the cutest sleeping face, and I thought I'd surprise you with breakfast in bed,” she apologised, joining him in bed. She gave him his plate and he put his cigar out in the ashtray on the nightstand before he dug in.

“I thought you... well... it don’t matter none now. Anyways, you wanna do some training today?” He faltered, swallowing a bite of egg. He tore into the bacon and Lorelai grinned.

“I’d love to! Are we gonna start with gun control? Or maybe even hand-to-hand combat? Ooh! Or even—” She rambled.

“Whoa there, slow down darlin’. One step at a time. You’ll see when we get there.” He grinned slightly at her enthusiasm and went back to eating. As soon as they had finished breakfast, they walked to the practice rooms, passing Hanzo along the way, and McCree’s eyes lit up. He grinned and walked over to the gloomy-looking man, putting an arm around him.

“How’s it goin’, Han?” He greeted him.

“Remove yourself from me, this instant!” He growled. Then, in a hushed tone of voice that he assumed Lorelai couldn’t hear, Hanzo suggested, “Perhaps... we could meet in your room later today?”

_Okay Oracle, I’m curious now... is there a way to heighten my sense of hearing? I want to hear their conversation._

_“Of course, Lorelai. Enhancing hearing capabilities.”_ Now, she could hear many things around the Overwatch base, but most importantly, Hanzo and McCree’s conversation.

“Of course, darlin’ I’ll probably have some time to entertain ya. I’ll treat you nicely.” McCree was telling Hanzo. He shot him a wink and the archer nodded and walked off.

McCree bounded back over to Lorelai and explained, “We’ll train for a few hours or so and then I have some business to attend to.” Lorelai shivered because even though he was several feet away from her talking to him, his voice sounded extremely loud, almost as if he was right in her ear.

"You alright there, Lorelai?" He asked again, seeing her shudder.

_Oracle, deactivate enhanced hearing please!_

_"Deactivated."_

"Yeah, psh! I'm just fine, Cowboy. Don't worry so much!" Lorelai insisted.

As the two of them walked along towards the practice rooms, Lorelai inquired, “So, you and Hanzo... seem pretty close.” McCree let out a chuckle.

“I guess you could say that.”

Lorelai hung her head apologetically. “I’m sorry... I would never have allowed last night to happen if I had known you two were—”

“Whoa whoa whoa! No, we’re not like that! We’re more like... uh... friends with benefits.” McCree cringed at the term. He had heard of it from the younger generation but hadn’t really cared too much for it.

“Oh, I see.”

She wondered if that’s what her and McCree were as well. “Here we are, Lorelai. The practice rooms. Let’s get you a profile with Athena, alright?” He announced, turning to face PR-1.

“Athena, would you mind settin’ up a profile for Miss Lorelai here?” A silky robotic voice came on over the intercoms.

“Certainly. Welcome to Overwatch, Lorelai. I am Athena. State your full name.”

“Um, Lorelai Mariana Caballero. Nice to meet you, Athena.” Lorelai greeted, smiling at the speaker in front of her.

“Profile has been set. Status: Rookie. Please proceed with caution as you undergo your training.” Athena cautioned.

“Will do!” The doors opened and they entered to a room with all sorts of possibilities for training. “Whoa.” Lorelai breathed, gazing around at all the equipment. There were all sorts of weapons and defence mechanisms, but there was also a fighting ring, dummies, and an obstacle course that looked as though it was designed to give an intense workout.

“Alright, so first things first... Do you know anything about how to fight?” McCree demanded, entering the fighting ring and taking off his shirt. He tossed it to the side haphazardly and crossed his arms, waiting for her answer. She was heavily distracted by his muscling. She had seen it in the bedroom, but their actions took away from her actually being able to fully admire him. He narrowed his eyes at her and repeated his question.

“Oh, yeah, sorry! Um, I know a little bit about fighting. I’ve studied several forms of martials arts.”

“Martials Arts, huh? Might not be any use against regular street fightin' or the stuff we learn for combat, but we'll see. Step into the ring and I’ll assess you. I’ll block for a bit, but I may start to throw a punch or two at you if I see that you’re more advanced.”

Lorelai nodded and entered the ring, bowing to him before she entered a fighting stance. The experienced gunslinger shook his head and sighed, getting into a strong fighting stance of his own. He beckoned her with one hand, narrowing his eyes, and she moved forward towards him, coming at him with everything she had. All of her kicks, punches, chops, grabs, and even sweeps were dodged or deflected.

 _Wow, he’s really good...!_ Lorelai got even more excited then, and began using her more advanced moves that included feint attacks. She weaved and attacked swiftly, until finally, by accident, she broke through his defences and backfisted him across his left cheek. Her eyes widened and she quickly stopped, rushing up to him.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to actually—” She began, but she was flipped over and pressed down into the ground by McCree, who restrained her in a body lock.

“Never let your guard down, darlin’, and no worries, I’ve had worse. That was a nice backfist,” he praised her, helping her up. She quickly kicked his left leg out from under him and slammed him back onto the ground, shoving her foot into his throat.

“Thanks,” she said, glowing brightly. He tried to sweep her legs out from under her with his hands, but she jumped backwards, making some distance between them.

“Ha ha! It’s good to see that you’re a fast learner! Still, I’d like to see what you can do with that Omnic in your head.”

“Her name’s Oracle, and I’d be more than happy to show you.” Lorelai chimed in, getting into a fighting stance.

_Oracle, can you teach me how to fight and help me spar against McCree?_

_“Certainly. Downloading and installing data. Turning on fighting assistance.”_

Lorelai’s eyes shone a brilliant golden colour as images and techniques flowed through her mind. Her muscles and positioning were also enhanced and made leaner and stronger so she could carry out every fighting style she had learned from Oracle.

Her body shifted, and her arms adjusted themselves into a more solid fighting stance. She flew at McCree, attacking him, rolling around and attempting to throw him off his game. She succeeded a few times and caught him off guard. He groaned as she kicked him in the stomach and knocked him backwards. She kept her guard up but stared at him with concern etched into her face. He dropped low in a crouch and planted his feet as he slid backwards; his left hand scraped against the ground and flattened, pushing him back up to his feet.

He grinned devilishly and stood tall. “Not bad. Not bad at all. Come on, show me what you’ve got, and I’ll show ya what I can do,” he goaded her. She rushed at him again, relieved he was alright, and determined to outdo him. She sent a flurry of attacks his way and he lashed out with his own, punching, kicking, elbowing, and other things. Pretty soon, they were both panting with exhaustion. Lorelai had memorized all of his attack strategies, so he was getting extremely predictable.

Then, he did something she hadn’t expected. He used a different technique altogether. He rushed at her and dove, dropping his guard completely, and using his legs to knock hers out from under her. Then, he repositioned and held her in a harsh body lock. She groaned in pain and struggled against him.

“The harder you struggle, the more pain you’ll be in, darlin’.” He cooed into her ear. Even so, she kept struggling, and even more than that, she dislocated her shoulder, and slid out from under him, knocking him flat and then coming down on his solar plexus with her other elbow. He groaned loudly and Lorelai relocated her shoulder against the wall.

“How was that?” She asked, turning to face him and grinning from ear to ear. Then, her smile faded.

“Wait... I didn’t hit you too hard, did I?” There was no answer. When McCree didn’t get back up again, she rushed over to him. “McCree?” She called out to him, lightly shaking him. She checked his pulse to find that it was slightly slow.

 _But it’s still there..._ She stared at his chest and waited for a breath. Ten seconds passed with no breath. Tears pooled in her eyes as she quickly began CPR, holding his nose and pressing her mouth against his, blowing air into his lungs. The tears streamed down her face as she repeated it once more.

Suddenly, his arms wrapped around her and held her tightly against him in a warm embrace. His lips now moved into hers, kissing her passionately. Or at least, they did, until she slapped him so hard it turned his head to the side. She pulled herself away from him and started towards the entrance of the Practice Room, but stopped, fists clenched, and spun around to face him, glaring at him profusely.

“I thought you were dying! I thought I had missed and hit you in the chest, or something! What the hell were you thinking, joking around like that?! I know we only just met but I fucking care about you!” McCree gaped at her as her eyes turned golden and then a bright, crimson red. Tears flowed down her face in a seemingly endless succession. She whirled back around and kept heading for the door.

“Lorelai!” McCree called after her. She ignored him and kept walking, eyes glowing red with burning anger. He ran after her.

“Lorelai, I’m so sorry, I—” the moment he grabbed her arm, Lorelai whipped around on instinct, knocked his arms to their sides and push-kicked him flush in the torso, knocking him backwards and onto his ass.

Lorelai’s expression of anger instantly morphed into one of fear. She stayed where she was for a moment, watching to see if McCree would get up. He did, but he was slow to do so. The kick she had sent his way had really packed a lot of power and he had been wholly unprepared for it. He looked over at her again, clutching his stomach with a sullen expression on his face, and noticed her eyes shifting from red, to gold, and then back to their normal hazel colour.

“Oracle... deactivate fighting assistance. I don’t need your help right now...”

 _“_ _Acknowledged.”_ She shook her head and backed away from McCree, running her fingers into her scalp and clenching her silky brown hair in frustration. Her tears fell faster now as she realised just how dangerous she really was. There was a sympathetic look on his face, and he reached out towards her, beginning to walk over to her.

“Lorelai...”

“No!” She yelled, spinning around. “Just... stay away from me!”

She shoved open the door and ran through the halls, desperate to get away from the entire situation.

_Oracle, why the fuck did you make me kick him like that?!_

_“I do not understand, Lorelai. I thought Jesse McCree had become a threat to you. You were angry, and you were hurt by his actions. I activated defence mode to keep you safe.”_ The Omnic replied.

 _No, that was wrong! What you did... hurt him! I... hurt him... Never activate defence mode again without my permission! Or, unless there is like... a 90% chance at something being a threat! If there ever is an “again...”_ Lorelai stopped running and leaned up against a dark corner by some stairs, sliding down it and curling up into a ball.

_“I... understand. I am sorry for... jumping to conclusions, Lorelai. I will try to be more understanding of your feelings in the future. Human emotions are still very difficult for me to grasp.”_

Lorelai chuckled and let out a long sigh. _It’s not okay right now, but I’m sure it will be eventually. Even so, I forgive you Oracle. Hell, I’m Human and I don’t even understand my own emotions half the time._

_“Thank you, Lorelai.”_

The sound of footsteps reached her ears and Lorelai shrunk even further within herself, hoping she wouldn’t be seen.

“Lorelai...” It was Dr. Ziegler’s voice.

_Shit..._

“I saw what happened in the training room. Why don’t you come with me? I’ll take care of you.” She called out to her, extending a hand. Lorelai looked up from her knees and several more tears fell from her eyes.

“Actually, that’s a really good idea, Doctor... It seems I can’t control Oracle as well as I thought... Please lock me up. I’m a danger to everyone...” She said, her voice cracking.

“No, Lorelai that’s not what I meant at all... oh, dear... Come here.” Angela grabbed her into her arms and held her close, but Lorelai made no effort to hug her back, not wanting to accidentally hurt her. She just lay her head on Angela’s shoulder and sobbed. Angela pulled out of the hug and looked at her seriously.

“Komm jetzt, stop this right now. What happened was not your fault, it was Jesse’s and he is going to make up for it, I assure you.”

“But you saw me... I kicked him backwards so hard... I hurt him.”

Angela chuckled and shook her head. “No, I saw him get the ass-kicking he deserved, entschuldige die Schimpfwörter.” She waved her hand nonchalantly and added, “He’s got a bit of bruising, but he’ll be fine! I’m more concerned about your dislocated shoulder.” Lorelai wiped her eyes. “Besides, sometimes people get hurt during training. You are no exception to that, Lorelai. I can tell how much you care about everyone here... but you must accept that we are trained warriors. We can take your blows. Just... don’t kill anyone.” She smiled at Lorelai and placed a hand on her shoulder soothingly. Lorelai sniffled and forced a smile back, and they both headed over to the medical bay. Once Angela was finished patching Lorelai up, she trained her a bit on slightly more advanced medical techniques.

“What I saw you doing to Jesse in there indicated that you have at least a beginner to intermediate level amount of medical experience. Anyone can do CPR, but it doesn’t mean that anyone _should._ You, however, did it very well. Or at least the breathing aspect of it. I’ll teach you a bit about what I know, and even give you a med kit so you can be ready in an emergency. This way, if you hurt someone, you can heal them.”

Lorelai thanked her and studied hard with her, going over emergency wound stitching, medicinal herbs, and pharmacology. A few hours had passed, and Angela glanced over at the clock in shock.

“Oh, my! It’s well past lunch! I’ll be here a little longer doing some research, but why don’t you get some lunch, and take some to McCree as well? I know things are rocky between you two, but he will make them right. I know he will. He’s a good man; a bit immature, but still good at heart.” Angela smiled, handing Lorelai a med kit and Lorelai hugged her.

“Thank you, Angela.”

“You’re welcome.” She said as she walked over to her computer.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Overwatch is owned by Blizzard. I own this story though and hope it keeps you entertained in these trying times :) <3
> 
> DISCLAIMER: Some sexy things happenin' up in here. You dun been warned.  
> DISCLAIMER DOUBLE DAILY: Some crazy not-so Sexy things happenin' up in here. Could this become a revenge story?

Lorelai took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to balance her emotions.

_Oracle can you commit what Dr. Ziegler taught me to memory?_

_“_ _Absolutely, Lorelai. Successfully transferred into Long-term memory,”_ Oracle replied.

 _Thanks, girl._ She walked to the kitchen, found the refrigerator, and rustled up some leftovers for herself and McCree. There were still three sandwiches left to eat. Lorelai took one for herself and two for McCree and grabbed them some drinks. When she arrived at his room, she took a deep breath to steady herself and then walked in, almost dropping the tray of food at the sight of Hanzo dominating McCree, shoving him into the bed and thrusting inside of him wildly. Not wanting to interrupt anything, she closed the door and sat down against the wall outside, eating her sandwich in silence.

About fifteen to twenty minutes later, Hanzo left the room, glancing at Lorelai as he passed by.

“Good day, Hanzo.” She called out gloomily.

He tensed up as he noticed her there. “Good day,” He answered briskly. She didn’t even want to go into the room anymore, but she knew that McCree needed his sandwiches. Suddenly, McCree burst out of the room, and yelled after Hanzo.

“Hey Han, you forgot your—” He saw Lorelai out of the corner of his eye and froze. She was sitting against the wall with her head bowed, the tray of food next to her.

“Have a good time?” She inquired, refusing to look at him. Her voice was frail-sounding and without its usual vigour.

“Yeah, but it wasn’t... I—”

“Oh, right. My hair tie. Thank you, McCree,” Hanzo said, grabbing it from him and walking away.

Lorelai stood up, handed McCree the tray of food with a quiet, “this is for you,” and walked into the room, heading over to the bed and changing the sheets. McCree followed her, closed the door, and sat against it, watching her thoughtfully while he ate. She had finally gotten the bed situated when a knock sounded at the door. McCree placed the tray to the side and answered it.

“Hiya! Is... Lorelai here?” A young woman with short, spiky brown hair and an English accent inquired. She wore a white T-shirt with orange track pants and had a pair of goggles on her head. She was also wearing a vest with a large glowing device on it.

“Yeah, come on in, Lena.” Lorelai turned and greeted her, smiling.

“Hey! I’m Lorelai! I don’t think we’ve met yet!”

“Nice to meet you! I’m Lena Oxton, but you can also call me Tracer if you want to. That’s my mission/nickname! I’m actually here to drop off your stuff for you. Brigitte, Genji, Reinhardt, and I went down to your place and picked it all up. Here.” She handed Lorelai a tablet that had a circular piece on top of it.

“This is a Light Storage. You click the button and a menu will pop up. It has a catalogue of all of your stuff. So, let’s say... your stuffed cat.” She clicked on the cat and aimed the tablet downwards, pressing the button once more. A blue light shone out of the tablet and the stuffed cat appeared on the floor. Lorelai gaped in astonishment, picked up the stuffed animal, and gave it a hug.

_It hasn’t changed a bit!_

“It uses hard-light technology! Basically, it disintegrates your stuff and then puts it back together.”

“Wow, thank you so much Lena!” Lorelai exclaimed, wrapping her arms around the woman in a hug. Lena hugged her back and chuckled.

“No problem! Alright. I’ve got to get to my girlfriend, Emily now. I’m supposed to be video conferencing her like... five minutes ago!” Lorelai let out a short bark of laughter.

“Godspeed, Lena!” Lena saluted and tore through the room and out the door at lightning pace, causing Lorelai to gape in awe.

McCree scratched his head. “It’s her Chronal Accelerator. She had an accident and now that thing keeps her tethered to our plane of existence, but she can also overclock it and use it to go back in time a short distance or speed around like a damned cheetah.” He explained. Lorelai nodded in understanding but refused to meet McCree’s eyes. She instead walked to the right side of the bed, used the catalogue tablet, and brought her nightstand back. She then placed the tablet on the nightstand along with her med kit, climbed into the bed, and rolled over to go to sleep.

Jesse sighed heavily.

“Lorelai look... about what happened... I... What I did was stupid and childish, and I’m really sorry...” He apologised, staring at her expectantly.

“So sorry that you fucked Hanzo before you apologised to me?” She bit back bitterly.

“We had already made those plans, and I tried to find you, but I didn’t know where you went, so I... left to meet with him.” Lorelai’s breath caught in her throat at his words.

_He could have searched for me a bit harder... but I guess... in the scheme of things, to him, I’m not that important._

“Whatever... I’m sorry I slapped you and kicked you... Oracle went into defence mode because she knew that you... never mind. The point is that it never should have happened, and I’m sorry.”

“Eh, it’s all water under the bridge,” he dismissed it, staring at her still body and waiting for her to turn around and smile at him. He couldn’t explain why, but he yearned for it; he yearned for her touch and her bright personality, and to look into those gorgeous hazel eyes. He sighed and climbed into bed next to her, facing her, but she rolled over the other direction.

Lorelai was deeply hurt. She was in this place practically alone. She didn’t really know anyone at Overwatch except for McCree, but he didn’t seem to really care about her. She wrapped the blankets more tightly around her for warmth and heard McCree sigh behind her.

“Never have I ever met someone with such beautiful Hazel eyes as yours,” he said softly.

"Hmph..." Lorelai shifted and rolled her eyes, doubting the verity of his statement.

“Never have I ever met someone like you, whose smile has the power to brighten up peoples’ lives, fill them with warmth, and put the sun to shame.” Lorelai smiled slightly at this statement, hoping it was true, but she still wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth or just trying to cheer her up.

“Never have I ever been held by a beautiful Spanish lady who has an Omnic inside of her and a kick as strong as a Bronco.” Lorelai snorted at this, and almost laughed.

 _Does he really think I’m beautiful...?_ Lorelai thought to herself. She had always struggled with her own self-image, so to hear something like that from someone close to her was nice... if it was true, anyways.

 _“Voice pattern analysis indicates that Jesse McCree is telling the truth.”_ Oracle pointed out. Lorelai gaped.

“Never have I ever been, but... I’d really like to.” He finished. Lorelai could hear the longing in his voice now, and she turned around to see his brown eyes staring into hers with a remorseful expression on his face. She sighed and relented, wrapping her arms around him and holding him close.

“I forgive you, but... you really hurt me today. I was so afraid that I had really wounded you... I’ve already lost the people who were closest to me in my life, and you? You’re quickly becoming someone dear to me. I couldn’t bear it if I lost you.”

 _She cares about me...? No, she just has a crush. It’ll fade..._ McCree surmised.

“How? How am I dear to you?” He demanded in a soft tone of voice.

Lorelai thought for a moment and then replied, “From the moment I got here, you were patient with me. You treated me like a Human and not some sort of dangerous failed experiment.”

She sniffled and smiled into him as she continued. “You told me not to give up on my dream of being a singer, and you sat down and really talked with me about things. You cared for me when no one else would and you were kind. You may have once been the roguish outlaw, but now, you’re the kind, warm, white-hat hero.” McCree’s eyes watered slightly, and he swallowed hard to prevent the tears from forming.

 _Why does she have so much faith in me?_ He questioned, pressing her tighter against him.

“Darlin’, I really don’t think I’m the hero you believe me to be.” He admitted, his voice darkening. Lorelai pulled his face over to look at hers.

“And I think you don’t believe in yourself enough, Cowboy. You think you’re Liberty Valance, but you’re really Marshal Will Kane.”

McCree’s eyes widened slightly in awe, and she ginned.

“Yeah, I know my Westerns.”

 _I... I hope I don’t fail her._ He thought as he hugged her tightly.

“Also, I noticed you... don’t seem to want to get too close to me. Why is that?” Lorelai inquired nervously.

The cowboy groaned.

“It’s not like that... it’s just that... well... It’s a long story and I don’t wanna get into it, but let’s just say that I have a bit of... hesitation when it comes to gettin’ close to people. Part of it is bein’ betrayed several times while I was on the run...” he confessed, sighing deeply and turning his head away.

Lorelai stared up at him with bright, honest eyes, pulled him towards her, and vowed, “I will never betray you, Jesse. I’d die before I ever betrayed you.”

He gaped at her and sniffed as his eyes began to water once more. “Well then, I better train you, so you don’t die.”

She chuckled and smiled warmly at him. “Let’s seal it with a kiss, why don’t we?” She leaned into him slowly and he met her the rest of the way, kissing her tenderly.

“I’ll always have your back Jesse.” She promised.

A few months later, McCree found himself being carried away in irons. As he struggled angrily against the men that held him, he glared at his foe and snarled, “Don’t you dare walk away from me! You betrayed me! After everything we’ve been through, you went and sold me out?!”

Lorelai sighed and shook her head, turning around to face him. She walked up to him and took his hat and his BAMF belt off of him, smiling devilishly before putting a few fingers underneath his chin and raising it up to meet her ruthless gaze.

“This... ‘everything we’ve been through’ meant nothing to me. I gained your trust for the money. With the $60,000,000 I’ll be getting; I can live out the rest of my days in comfort. I’m donating $1,000,000 of it to this fine city, and they’re giving me your gun too! What nice trophies all of these will make...!” She goaded him.

He spat in her face and she groaned, wiped it off, and clicked her tongue at him.

“Now that wasn’t very nice, outlaw... but no matter, you’ll be strung up in the morning anyways.” She turned around and waved a hand to the guards. “Take ‘im away, boys!”

McCree struggled once more, his face warped in a dark and deadly expression as he vowed, “You’re gonna regret the moment you turned your back on me!”

She raised up the middle finger as she walked away and headed to the sheriff’s office. She walked up to the front desk, stated her name, and who she was, and the receptionist led her to the Sheriff’s office and told her to have a seat inside. The Sheriff walked in with a cup of coffee for the two of them and sat down in his seat.

“I understand you’re the one who apprehended McCree,” he began, eyeing her warily. He was beyond nervous about even being in her presence. Something about her spooked him. If Jesse McCree was so dangerous, she surely had to be twice that to be able to turn him in.

“Sure am, Sheriff. Is that reward still active?” She said with a dazzling smile.

The Sheriff chuckled. “Sure is. I have the card with the reward money on it right here.”

“And his gun?” She pressed, grinning widely.

“Also, here.” He pulled open one of his drawers and handed her a black trophy box. She opened it and found the gun sitting inside along with several cigars that had been inside his pocket. It had been polished and cleaned and it almost looked as though it had never been touched.

“That’s the one,” she murmured.

For a moment, the Sheriff thought he saw a glint of sadness in her eyes as she ran a few fingers over it. He dismissed it as nothing and slid a black card across the table.

“This is a transfer card. It will go to any bank anywhere.”

She put it in her pocket, put the black box inside her Light Storage, rose and said goodbye to the Sheriff.

“Wait...! I need to know... How did you do it?” He demanded.

Lorelai stopped in place, took a deep breath, turned around, and shot him a piercing look as she declared, “I met him at his level. He played dirty tricks, and so did I. Mine one-upped any trick he could ever try though; I made him fall in love with me and then tore him apart.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Jojo's Bizarre Adventures End Theme Plays* To be Continued...


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blizzard owns Overwatch, but I own this story! Enjoy! :)
> 
> DISCLAIMER: Betrayal, Violence, Blood, Sexy Things etc. You've been warned. :P

Lorelai looked around warily as she left the station, making sure she wasn’t followed before heading back to her hotel room. She threw open the door, sighed heavily, tossed her belongings on the nightstand, and fell down on the bed. She struggled to calm her nerves, forcing herself to breathe more deeply and closing her eyes as she did so. The police Sheriff’s words filled her mind once more.

_“_ _How did you do it?” “I made him fall in love with me and then tore him apart.”_

Lorelai chuckled at her response. “As if he’d fall in love with me, anyways...” She joked, shaking her head and putting a finger to her ear.

“Genji, how are we looking?” She demanded into her comm device.

“They appear to be taking him to a secure location. I am not sure where exactly... Still following them,” he responded.

“Understood. Keep me posted."

She zapped all of McCree’s belongings into her Light Storage, save his gun and holster, which she attached to her hip, and lay on the bed once more, closing her eyes recalled how this plan all started. They had been training together for a month until one day, Angela walked in and spoke to McCree about financing the Overwatch base.

“We need more supplies... our technology is good, but could be better, and I need more medicine,” she was saying. Lorelai looked over at them with a concerned expression on her face, but McCree had told her to continue her training, focusing only on the training.

That night when they had lay down on the bed together, Lorelai inquired, “So... have you figured out the money situation with Overwatch yet?” McCree shook his head and let out a long sigh.

“I just hope we’re able to soon... I don’t wanna hafta leave this place. It’s... it’s become a home for me. Life is hard for an outlaw, and bein’ here has been real nice.” Lorelai’s eyes widened at his last words, and she got the craziest idea.

_Outlaw! That’s it!_

“Hey, umm... McCree...?” She began. His eyes darted over to her in suspicion. He didn’t much care for her tone of voice.

“What is it...?” He demanded.

“Well... I know of a way we could get a ton of money quickly. It would require a small Overwatch Sting Operation though.”

McCree chuckled loudly and shook his head. “We are _not_ robbing a bank, Lorelai...!” Lorelai looked away from him quickly out of guilt.

“Actually... what I had in mind was a lot worse than that, but possibly easier to pull off... Not sure though.” Now, McCree was very concerned.

“What’s this plan o' yours...?” He demanded.

“Never mind. It’s way too risky. There’s got to be another way to get the money we need...”

“No, tell me. I wanna hear this,” he pressed her. Lorelai gulped and turned to look at him with sad, scared eyes.

“We turn you in for your bounty, collect it, and then rescue you.”

His eyes narrowed at her and he bared his teeth. “You’re all the same, ain’t ya...?” He snarled.

“What? I just... I’m sorry I suggested it. I don’t want to lose you, I just—”

“You just thought that $60,000,000 is worth a lot more to you than me,” he bit back at her.

“No, you’re wrong! I just thought it could help Overwatch out! But I—”

“No, Lorelai, I’ve heard enough.” He threw off the covers, pulled on his pants and shirt, and stormed over towards the door.

“Wait... Jesse! Where are you going?” She demanded sadly.

“Out for a smoke,” he spat, slamming the door after him. Lorelai groaned loudly in anger at herself and tears began streaming down her face.

 _I didn’t mean to hurt him. I just... thought it might help! I’m an idiot._ She put her clothes on and rushed after him, searching Gibraltar high and low.

_Wait.... out for a smoke? The only two ways out of her are at the very top, and down at the hangar... but there’s no view at the hangar, and McCree loves a spot with a view!_

She ran as fast as she could up to the very top of the Watchpoint and when she got to the rooftop entrance, she paused and took a breath, steadying her nerves. She slowly opened the door and saw the sullen cowboy sitting upright, surrounded by a bunch of roses. He stamped out his cigar and sat there, staring out at the full moon and stars.

_Hey Oracle, can you give me heat vision so I can see if anyone else is around?_

_“Certainly. Heat Vision activated.”_ Lorelai glanced around and smiled as there wasn’t another soul in sight. She deactivated the heat vision and crept up on McCree, moving slowly and carefully until she got close enough to tackle him. They rolled for a moment until Lorelai pinned the cowboy down, smiling down at him. He gaped at her in shock for a moment and then glared up at her, teeth bared, and eyebrows narrowed in a scowl.

She eyed him sadly as he demanded, “What the fuck do you think you’re doin’?”

Her breath caught in her throat, but she ignored the guilt and fear and leaned in to kiss him passionately. McCree resisted her kiss, but then gave in as she leaned into him. His arms didn’t move at all, but he slightly leaned his chest upwards against hers.

Finally, Lorelai broke down crying, tearing out of the kiss.

“I’m s-sorry Jesse... if I’d have known it would hurt you to even suggest that, I wouldn’t have. The last thing I ever want is to lose you because I—” Lorelai froze as she sobbed relentlessly.

‘ _I’ what...? ‘I’ what, Lorelai?_ She asked herself, panicking slightly, worried that the handsome cowboy would demand to know what she was going to say. Instead, McCree’s angry expression melted and was replaced by one of empathy and understanding.

“No, I’m sorry, Lorelai. I overreacted... I guess I have a story to tell ya,” he said with a half-hearted smile.

She nodded, got off of him, and sat beside him, staring up at the moon as she listened intently to him.

“Back when I'd just left Overwatch and had been on the run for about a year, I bumped into someone. She was a little bit older than me, but not by too much. She was on the run too. Had an abusive husband that uh... did a lot of awful things to her. She got caught stealing food out of this small-town market. I thought the law was after me, but they were really after her. We bumped into each other and took off runnin’ together. We told each other our stories and got really close, or so I thought. She was a pretty guarded person, truth be told, and I was a fool.”

He sighed and shifted a little; a look of regret and sadness on his face. “One day, she found a wanted poster and discovered just how much money I was worth. Without even the slightest hint of remorse, she led the police right to me... I escaped, but... I dunno. Something inside me cracked that day. I realised I couldn’t trust anyone. Not Gabriel, not Morrison, not even her, and I... well... I thought I loved her. Now, I can see it was just foolish as all hell.”

Lorelai got closer to him and wrapped her arms around him. “Well, you’ve got me, and I’m never gonna sell you out. I swear it,” she vowed.

He looked over at her and stared into her eyes, but all he could see was pure sincerity, and... something else. He quickly looked away from her.

 _I can’t let myself get attached... It’s probably just puppy love anyways..._ He shook his head and let out a tired chuckle. Then he relented.

_It’s time to face my fears..._

“Well, you’re gonna have to sell me out if we’re gonna do this,” he quipped, grinning over at her.

“Are you sure you’re up for it? I’m really afraid that you’ll get hurt...” Lorelai murmured, nervously wringing her hands.

McCree put his hands over hers and declared, “Don’t worry. I know we can do this. We need to keep it a secret though. Angela would never approve of this if she knew about it right off the bat. I know someone we can count on though.”

“And who would that be?” Genji suddenly asked. Both McCree and Lorelai jumped and turned to see Genji standing there, arms crossed.

“Actually, you’re who I meant,” McCree said, getting up and slapping Genji on the back. They all discussed the mission in great detail and filled Lena and Angela in on it the day they planned to do it.

Lorelai now sighed as she wondered how McCree was doing and where they were taking him.

 _If it’s in a maximum-security prison, we may have problems..._ She thought, her eyes shooting open as anxiety began to overtake her.

“Genji here, I’ve located them. It looks like Talon has him.” Lorelai tore out of the room, taking a taxi to Genji’s location. She had the driver stop a little way away and met Genji outside of an abandoned factory.

“Hey, how is he doing?” She demanded as she came up to his hiding spot behind a rusted-out car.

“He appeared to be alright when I last checked, but I do not trust Talon to leave him that way. We have to get him back tonight.” Genji declared, handing Lorelai a change of clothes. It was sleek, black armour with a mask and hood. She quickly changed into it and hooked her Light Storage and McCree’s gun back on her waist, zapping her old clothing back into the storage.

They used the cover of darkness to sneak into the building, incapacitating any guards that came their way until they got to the interrogation room. Lorelai’s eyes widened as she saw Jesse sitting in a chair, chained up to it. He was shirtless and covered with bruises and semi-deep gashes. Genji opened the door and she raced up to him, lifting his head and rousing him. He stirred awake and looked at the two of them.

“You... came...” Lorelai smiled through her mask and nodded, using her Light Storage to zap her med kit into reality. She quickly remembered what Dr. Ziegler had taught her and patched him up. Finally, McCree could walk on his own. Lorelai passed him his gun, belt, and holster and he quickly put it on. Then, she took his hat off of her head and placed it on his.

“What’s a cowboy without his hat and belt?” She joked. He chuckled lightly.

“Let’s blow this joint.” He said a bit too loudly. A couple of Talon grunts rushed over to the room. Genji flung a shuriken at one of them, which hit him in the head and downed him instantly. The other though, started running. Lorelai grabbed a shuriken from Genji and raced into the hall, throwing it hard and spearing the guard in the nape of his neck. She sighed with relief, but that relief was short-lived as the Reaper rounded the corner.

Lorelai froze in fear. The Reaper had been her own bogeyman, and now he was standing right across from her. He looked down at the fallen body and then up at Lorelai. Her eyes widened and she sprinted back to Genji and McCree and rushed them on.

“Reaper is here. We need to move, now!” she hissed, grabbing McCree by the arm and running with him. Genji scouted ahead, blending in with the shadows and ensuring them a safe way out.

He called out directions for Lorelai to follow and they finally made it out of a back exit. Genji re-joined them, sprinting alongside them as they made their way back to the hiding spot. They panted heavily and struggled to catch their breath. Finally, Lorelai texted for a taxi with her phone.

“We need to keep moving. We’re going to catch the cab about a mile away. I told them twelve minutes, and we’re going to make it in that timeframe,” she commanded. They all kept a steady running pace and stuck to the wilderness, only taking the main road when they were sure it was safe. They finally spotted a diner and saw the yellow taxi next to it and sprinted over as fast as they could. Lorelai paid the man well and they took off towards the airport.

Once they were dropped off, they headed back to the Overwatch aircraft, and rejoiced as they found it exactly where they had left it. Lena turned around in the pilot’s seat and greeted everyone warmly. Once she had it on autopilot, Lorelai called back to base and held a conference with Angela, Winston, and everyone on their plane. She filled them in with the details.

“So... McCree’s bounty was created by Talon?” Angela demanded.

“Sort of. Talon was behind it. They got everyone riled up and spread the word about how dangerous McCree was and it encouraged the American Government to make the bounty. Talon would collect the prisoner though, since they wanted nothing to do with McCree.” Lorelai explained.

McCree crossed his arms. “And to make matters worse, it was the Reaper himself who tortured me... He said that they had planned on brainwashing me the same way they did Amélie... turning me into a Talon sleeper agent, but first he was trying to extract information out of me. He wanted to know where Lorelai was, but also which base we were operating out of. I didn’t tell him, but he said that he’d tear apart every single former Overwatch base until he found where we were. Get ready for a fight,” McCree cautioned them.

Angela’s eyes widened ever so slightly in fear and a stern expression appeared on her face.

“Understood," she said. “We will begin making preparations immediately.” As she ended the call, Lorelai felt seriously uneasy about the entire thing.

No one said a word. They all went back to their seats and sulked. The mission had been a success, but it didn’t feel like that to any of them as they knew that their home could come under fire at any time. When they returned, Lorelai handed Angela the credit card and she transferred the money into Overwatch’s account, smiling at the $59,000,000 that was in there.

“Great work, you three! This should fund us for quite some time! Though, I still don't approve of your mission...” She led McCree into the med bay to look at his wounds, but Lorelai had patched them up just fine.

“You remembered exactly what I taught you, Lorelai. I will have to resume your studies. It will be a good refresher course for me as well!” She told her, grinning excitedly.

“Thanks, Angela.” Lorelai said tiredly. Her head began to ache.

 _It’s probably just from stress..._ She bid them goodnight and headed back up to McCree’s room for a hot shower. She threw off her clothes and stepped into the shower, leaning up against the side and letting the water wash the sweat and other traces of the day off of her.

She felt unbearably guilty. Not only had she sold out Jesse, but she had to pretend not to give a shit about him. She let out a quivering sigh as she held back tears. The worst part of all was the knowledge that the Reaper could come with Talon forces any day and destroy her new home. She slammed her fist hard against the shower wall.

“Hey, Lorelai, you alright in there?” McCree’s voice carried to her through the bathroom door.

“I’m... fine...” She answered back hesitantly. “I just... have been thinking too much is all...”

“Yeah... you and me both... I’ll be in bed if you need me.” He admitted. She sighed as she heard his footsteps retreating and tears began to fall down her face, mingling with the water droplets. After a few minutes, she took a deep breath, collected herself, and left the shower. After she was dressed, she walked out and lay down on the bed next to McCree. She couldn’t bear to look at him, but she could feel his eyes on her back.

“Y’know... when they took me away, it seemed... pretty real. The things you said and did. I was gettin’ worried... and when Talon came—” He began.

“—I know... I’m so sorry Jesse... I didn’t mean the things I said at all... and when I saw you beaten up like you were, I was so scared... I really failed you,” she apologised as tears streamed down her face. She took several staggered breaths and curled up slightly as she began to sob.

McCree watched her empathetically for a few moments and then pulled her into his arms.

“Lorelai... you didn’t fail me. The only way you could have done that is if you meant those things you said, or if you had left me to die. You saved my life...” Lorelai breathed in his smoky scent and it calmed her somewhat. Even so, she pulled away from him and walked towards the door.

“I... I feel like such a bitch... You should be mad at me... pissed off. You should hate me for what I did...” She lamented.

“Especially after what you told me about how that girl betrayed you...”

“Come on, now... It was all a part of the mission, wasn’t it? Or are you feelin’ bad because you meant what you said?” He questioned gently, beginning to feel uneasy.

“No, I didn’t... I didn’t mean any of what I said... but still... I can’t believe I had to say it to you...” She wrapped her arms around herself and bowed her head to the ground. “When you spat on me, it all felt real... you seemed like you were actually angry at me... and when we rescued you, you acted so surprised to see us... I just... I... you...” She let out a frustrated sigh as she struggled to understand her own feelings and explain exactly how she felt to Jesse.

 _“Behavioural Analysis completed. Results indicate that you are feeling extremely hormonal around Jesse McCree. Is this ‘Love,’ Lorelai?”_ Oracle suddenly inquired. Lorelai twitched and gave a tiny gasp.

_Do I...? I... I’m not sure if—_

Her thoughts were cut off as McCree put a hand on her shoulder, whirled her around and shoved her up against the nearby wall, holding her in place.

As she looked into his eyes, she realised the truth. _I... I am in love with him..._

His eyebrows were narrowed, but his eyes had a strange sort of sadness that seemed to be infused with longing.

“Cut it out, right now! I said it wasn’t your fault. You are _not_ her. You’ll never be her. If anything, you’re—” He cut off, gaping at Lorelai as he realised what he was about to say.

 _Is it too soon to tell her somethin’ like that...?_ He wondered.

“I’m what... Jesse?” Lorelai pressed, her voice wavering in anticipation. He let go of her left arm and ran his hand through her hair, staring into her eyes as he admitted,

“You’re more special to me than she could ever be.” Lorelai gaped at him, unable to believe what she heard him say.

“You... have feelings for me...?” She clarified. He gaped too as he stepped into uncharted territory. In truth, McCree had had many hook-ups, but that’s all they were; they were just quick sex and then parting of the ways. However, this time, what he felt with Lorelai was much different.

 _I... I can’t be having feelings for her, can I? Wasn’t this just a good time? Love don’t last, as far as I’ve seen anyways... this won’t last... I can’t give her a straight answer right now, but I can show her._ Rather than responding back to her, he pulled her against him into a deep kiss.

Lorelai moaned into him, deepening the kiss and wrapping her arms around his neck. She jumped up into him and he lifted her, leaning her back completely against the wall as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She kissed him ravenously, moving from his lips to other parts of his face and neck. While her lips worked, her hands worked just as hard, stripping him of his hat and starting to remove his metal chest armour. She finally got it off of him and ripped his shirt open, splaying the buttons everywhere.

“Whoa now...” He murmured breathily, chuckling into her ear. She grinned and he suddenly stopped and looked at her tear-stained face.

He wiped her tears away and remarked, “Ya know, you look really cute when you cry... but you look breathtakin’ when you smile for me.” She inhaled as her heart lifted in her chest and smiled at him, moving in to kiss him and taking off his shirt. McCree put her down on the ground, and still kissing her deeply, he unzipped the front of her bodysuit down to her belly, yanked it open so her chest was exposed, and shoved her against the wall with his entire body. He pressed his knee against her crotch, and she writhed as he began to take off his pants.

She leaned in and gave him a hard bite on his neck, coupled with several kisses and bites on his cheek and ear. He let out an aroused groan as he stepped out of his pants, and Lorelai lustily eyed the growing erection in his trousers. She shoved him off of her, pulled his briefs down, and began to suck his member, taking him all the way into her mouth and back out again in a steady motion. He moaned and grabbed her by the hair, making her go slightly faster. Then, she began to massage his balls as she blew him, and he groaned even louder.

He was getting a bit closer to his climax, so he pushed her head into him even faster, but Lorelai had other plans. She slithered out of his grasp, shoved him up against the wall, and put his member between her labia, her clit resting on top of it. She began to slide back and forth on top of him, refusing to put him inside of her, but pleasuring him all the same.

“What’s my name, Cowboy?” She teased, going slightly faster.

“Lorelai...” He grunted, toying with her breasts and pulling her close for a kiss as she slid back and forth on him.

“Do you want to be inside of me?” She panted.

He nodded. “Yeah...”

“Yeah? Okay then you’re gonna show me how much you want me.” She quipped, slowing down her pace.

McCree stared at her for a second in awe at her sudden change in behaviour, but when she smiled slyly at him, he knew exactly what she wanted. His eyebrows narrowed and he quickly turned her around so her back was against his chest and put her in the same position before where her pussy lips were over his dick, pulling her against him roughly and grabbing one of her breasts with his Human hand. With his metal hand, he snaked down across her ribs, along her stomach, and down to her crotch, toying mercilessly with her clit. She moaned and her legs began to wobble, but McCree held her there, rubbing it fiercely.

She writhed against him, sliding over his length once more, back and forth as he pleasured her.

“Show me how much you want me,” she repeated breathily. She was already close to climax from the stimulation of her clit, but when the gunslinger tilted her head to the side and bit her neck, she shivered.

Finally, she began gasping and writhing even more against him, painfully close to climaxing. He grabbed her breast even harder now and put more pressure on her clit, biting her in the neck once more. Lorelai moaned loudly and her legs wobbled as pleasure spread through her. Then, she squirted, and McCree became even more aroused.

She sighed against him, leaned back, and into his ear, commanded, “Take me now, Jesse... I need you so badly...” As she nipped his ear once more, he flipped her around, picked her up, and shoved her against the wall hard, wrapping her legs around his back and inserting himself into her roughly. Lorelai, still tender after her orgasm, let out a soft moan and ran her fingers through his hair.

“Yes, Jesse... ooh! Mm.... Fuck me hard, cowboy!” She moaned.

He pounded into her and pulled her close as he did.

“I want you too, Lorelai... so badly... Cum for me, darlin’. I wanna... hear you sing.” He panted. He quickly pulled her off the wall and keeping himself inside of her, he walked over to the bed and tossed her onto it, getting on top of her and pounding into her roughly with as much force as he could muster. Lorelai’s hands wound into the bedsheets as she moaned loudly, and she spread her legs wider for him. He changed positions and came closer into her, kissing her ravenously as he slammed into her hard. Her breathing sped up again and she could feel the pleasure starting to pulse through her.

“Ooh... Jesse...! Harder...!” She begged, writhing on the bed beneath him. He ducked his head down and kissed her deeply, but this time, he used her previous trick on him and sucked the air out of her lungs. She gasped when he released her mouth and smiled at his sly tactic. He did it two more times, and on the third time he stole her breath, she began to cum.

She let out several moans and cries of pleasure as her insides began to churn.

“Lorelai!” McCree groaned, going even faster and grasping her breast harder.

“Don’t... stop... Ah! Jesse! Jesse!” She squealed, matching his rhythm beneath her by lifting her crotch in time with his thrusts. Her orgasm was beginning to hurt when McCree let out a loud groan and thrust harder but slower into her, his cock twitching wildly inside of her as he spewed his load into her. They lie there panting heavily for a moment before they turned over and held each other tightly.

 _Maybe... if life was like this everyday, it wouldn’t be so bad._ McCree thought as he drifted off to sleep, smiling blissfully. 

_I_ _'d have someone to come home to. She could be my home..._


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blizzard owns Overwatch, but I own this story. I hope you enjoy it :)
> 
> DISCLAIMER: Violence, Death, Blood, and Gore in this

The next week, the news broadcasted reports of former Overwatch bases being broken into, and as everyone from Gibraltar watched it, they knew it was only a matter of time before theirs was next. During practice, Lorelai was unfocused. She had a sense of dread that was almost overwhelming. McCree dodged a sloppy punch thrown by her and grabbed her arm, forcing her into a headlock.

“You doin’ alright, Lorelai? You don’t seem so well today...” He murmured, holding her close. He thrusted his hips into her ass and laughed huskily in her ear as she let out a moan of surprise. She leaned into him and smiled, turning her head in his grasp and biting him on the arm while smiling devilishly at him. He laughed and let her go. Then, she sighed and rubbed the back of her neck.

“Yeah, I’m... alright, I guess. I just... keep getting this feeling of... foreboding or something. I can’t shake it.” McCree frowned slightly and then shrugged, shaking his head lightly.

“Alright, well you’re gonna need to. We need to train. Any day now, Talon could strike. We need to be ready for them.”

Lorelai nodded at him, knowing he was right, and squared up against him once more, still unable to shake that sense of dread, but being more focused than she had been. Night fell, and Lorelai was unable to eat anything, her sense of dread deepening.

_Oracle... I’m not sure why I feel this way, but be on high alert, alright?_

_“Very well, Lorelai.”_ The Omnic responded inside of her. Knowing that Oracle had her back gave her some reassurance, and she was able to at least pick at her food a bit.

At the dinner table, Angela stood up and announced, "We have to make some preparations. There's a big storm coming tonight. There will be high winds, lower temperatures, heavy thunderstorms, and riptides. It may include a hurricane, as there has been some news of one possibly developing. The hangar and rooftop need to be secured and we need to take inventory of emergency supplies."

As soon as dinner was over, everyone pitched in and took care of business.

Lorelai and McCree got ready for bed, but the feeling Lorelai had was worse than ever. As the storm began to howl outside, she trembled next to McCree and the cowboy rolled over and held her in his arms.

“Hey, everything’s gonna be alright, Lorelai. We have state of the art defences and a badass team to back us up. We’ll beat Talon. They’ve got no chance against us,” he murmured soothingly, kissing her softly on the lips. She melted into his touch and kissed him back passionately.

“I’m just so scared... if anything ever happened to you, I—”

“Hey, don’t be talkin’ like that now. I’m not goin’ anywhere,” he bit back, stroking her hair and then resting his hand against her face before pulling her into a deep kiss. They held each other for a while before saying goodnight to each other and falling into an uneasy sleep.

Suddenly, Lorelai shot awake, panic spreading through her. Her breathing sped up as her heart pounded wildly. She was positive that someone or something was in the room with them. Her eyes darted back and forth, trying to find her opponent.

_If I can see them, I can fight them...! Where are you...? Oracle, give me heat vision!_

_“Acknowledged. Heat Vision activated.”_ The panic doubled within her as Lorelai saw the menacing form of the Reaper hovering over them. He pulled out his shotgun and aimed it straight at McCree’s head.

“No!” Lorelai screamed, jumping up and knocking the monster backwards. Reaper smacked her out of the way with one hand. McCree started awake, grabbing his gun from underneath his pillow and rolling off the bed onto his feet.

“You really thought I’d just let you escape, ingrate?” Reaper growled.

“Not really, but I figured I’d get my freedom as soon as I shot you down anyways,” McCree growled back defiantly.

Lorelai tackled the Reaper once more and went for his guns, successfully stealing one away and bashing it into his mask repeatedly. He groaned and turned into a deep purple mist, evading her and snaking out of the room.

“Athena, red alert!” McCree yelled. There was no response. “Athena? ... Damn. They must have hacked her! We need to alert the others. Lorelai, you go and make sure everyone’s alright. I’ll handle the Reaper...” He commanded as he got dressed in a hurry.

“Wait!” Lorelai cried, tugging him back over to her. She kissed him deeply and pulled him into her, breathing in his smoky scent and feeling his warmth flow through her. “That was for good luck. Go get ‘im, Cowboy, but be careful.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” He murmured, grabbing his hat, tipping it at her, and rushing off. Lorelai rushed out the door after him, watching him scout around for the Reaper and shooting a few Talon grunts as he went along. She went from room to room and alerted everyone except for Angela.

 _Shit, she’s probably still working in the medical bay!_ Lorelai raced down the stairs and rounded the corner to see Angela being carried away by three Talon soldiers. She rushed towards them, remembering her stealth lessons from Genji and making her footsteps silent. Then, she knocked out the first one, pulling him into the shadows. The second and third ones were still escorting the doctor when they turned and realised that their fellow soldier had gone missing.

“Get on the ground, now!” One of them commanded Dr. Ziegler. She did as she was told and kneeled down. “Fan out!” The same one commanded, looking around. He came dangerously close to Lorelai’s corner, but she stayed hidden and waited until he had spotted his co-worker’s body. As soon as he knelt down to check it, she yanked off his helmet and whacked him on the back of the head with their comrade’s gun. Then, Lorelai charged the last soldier and took him out swiftly before helping Angela off the ground.

“We need to go back to my lab! I need to get on my Valkyrie uniform!” She cried urgently. They raced back to the med bay, where several Talon lackeys stood ready to intercept them. Lorelai charged at them and fought them hard, warding them off so that Dr. Ziegler could get what she needed. She rushed inside of a cylindrical chamber, which closed on her for about fifteen seconds. Lorelai had made a mistake before that fifteen seconds was over. She had created an opening for one of the Talon soldiers. He struck her across the face with his gun, knocking her to the ground. She staggered to her feet, but he gave her no time to get her bearings as he kicked her in the stomach and sent her flying backwards, aiming his gun directly at her head.

 _I’m sorry, Jesse..._ Lorelai thought sadly as she bowed her head.

Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light and Lorelai looked up and saw Dr. Ziegler flying through the air towards her, shooting at the man accosting her. The Talon grunt fell to the ground and Dr. Ziegler put her gun away and pulled out a staff. It emitted a golden light and healed Lorelai’s injuries.

Lorelai took a deep breath and quickly exclaimed, “Everyone’s accounted for, but we need to get to Jesse! He’s taking the Reaper on by himself!” They raced around the building, but quickly found evidence of their fight taking place at the top of the Watchpoint. Lorelai bent down and picked up McCree’s tattered serape. There were bullet holes in a few places on it, and she noted that there was some blood just beneath it.

She gritted her teeth and ran as fast as she could towards the top, kicking open the door and rushing out onto the roof. She gaped in horror as she saw McCree and the Reaper fighting in the heavy rain. A thunderstorm had started up sometime during the Talon attack. The wind was blowing fiercely and the waves below were hammering into the rocky cliffs tumultuously.

I rushed forward as they began to edge their way closer to the cliffside, but Angela pulled me back.

“McCree can do this! Besides, if you rush in now, you could get him killed! Losing focus means losing the battle when you’re on rugged terrain like this!” She cried over the howling wind.

I gritted my teeth but nodded at her in understanding and looked on at the battle. McCree was fighting hard, punching and kicking at the Reaper as he neared the cowboy. Then, Jesse saw an opening and took it, drawing his pistol and shooting the Reaper through the heart. Only, it wasn’t an opening, but a trick. Reaper had vaporised and appeared behind McCree, shooting him directly in the back with his shotgun. McCree staggered backwards, edging dangerously close to the cliff, and Reaper grabbed him by the collar, holding him over it.

Lorelai yanked away from Angela and rushed towards them, watching in horror as Reaper shoved McCree off the edge of the cliff.

“No!” She screamed in agony as McCree’s eyes locked onto hers and a sad smile played on his face one last time before he fell into the crushing water below. Lorelai breathed heavily, sobbing in despair until she saw McCree’s pistol next to her foot.

“Now then, it’s time you came back with me where you belong. Talon has been searching for you for awhile.” Reaper growled behind her. With no hesitation, Lorelai cocked the gun, unheard by the ghastly Talon member over the shrieking wind, whipped around and shot him straight through his mask. Blood oozed out of it, dripping down the chin of his mask, and he stumbled over the side of the cliff. Lorelai panted heavily and jumped up to her feet.

_Oracle, what are the chances that McCree survived that fall?_

There was silence for a few moments before Oracle responded, _“There is only about a 22.4% chance of his survival, which decreases every three minutes.”_

Lorelai chuckled. _That’s good enough for me... Oracle, calculate the direction his body would have travelled with the trajectory at which he fell, the wind, and the waves._

_“Acknowledged.”_

Lorelai turned around and was met by two unfamiliar faces, a masked person with a sniper rifle and a cloak, and a man with a visor and white hair, wearing some form of military gear and holding a massive gun. She could see the wrinkles on his forehead and a deep scar above his left eyes. She didn’t think either of them looked like Talon members, but she couldn’t be certain, so she quickly entered a fighting stance, her eyes still watering with tears, and began to rush at them, starting with the soldier.

He tossed the gun aside and blocked her attacks, pulling her into him and saying in a deep growling voice, “We’re not your enemy, but I suppose this is somewhat our fault... We came too late. I’m sorry about Jesse.” Lorelai melted in the man’s grasp, sobbing uncontrollably, and he held her tight, falling with her to the ground as she wept.

“He could still be... He might...” She objected, pulling away from him. The other individual he was with placed a hand on her shoulder. She had the voice of an older, wisened woman.

“I am sorry. No one could have survived that though. Not even, Jesse, as tough as he was,” she said. Lorelai pulled away from both of them.

“No! Oracle said there was a 22 percent chance! I’m taking it!” She yelled, storming over to Angela. “Whatever those wings are, and whatever those healing powers of yours are, I’m going to need them right away. I need to rescue Jesse or at least bring his body back.” Lorelai demanded, staring at the doctor with a pleading expression on her face. Dr. Ziegler sighed with her eyes closed and when she opened them, there was a look of determination on her face.

She quickly stripped off her suit, leaving herself wearing a black bodysuit. Then, she helped Lorelai into the suit and placed the staff in her hands.

“This is Project Valkyrie. It works based on your needs as a healer, and it is only used for healing, not for attacking. If you need to fly to someone in sight, the suit will fly rapidly towards that person. If you need to heal them quickly, the suit will power up and do so for you. Go and bring our cowboy back to us, Lorelai. If anyone can do it, you can. You have proven yourself since you’ve been here, and I believe in you,” she commanded, smiling at her.

Lorelai nodded and then rushed towards the edge of the cliff, taking a leap of faith.

 _Oracle, show me where to go!_ An arrow popped up in Lorelai’s field of vision and led her down below the cliffs.

 _“There is a cave system underwater.”_ Lorelai nodded her head and then tucked the wings into herself as far as she could, diving straight down into the dark water. The wings lit up and she spread them out, holding her breath as they propelled her through the water rapidly, pushing her up and into the caves.

As soon as her head was above water, she gasped deeply and began flying fiercely through the caves, scouring them for Jesse McCree. Finally, a weak cough caught her attention and she zoomed over to the spot it came from.

“A-Angela...?” A voice rasped. She whipped around to find McCree slumped over against the wall, bleeding out from several places on his body.

“No, it’s me, Lorelai! Hang in there, I can heal you, I will!” She cried out, whipping out the staff and shining the golden beam of light onto him.

“I’m... afraid... that’s not gonna help me now, darlin’,” he informed her, struggling to breathe.

His breath was rattling in his lungs.

_There’s fluid in his lungs... he hasn’t got long. I need to heal him!_

“No, hush up, now. I can do this! I can save you!” She cried defiantly, willing the staff to heal him.

McCree sighed and pulled her into him, kissing her weakly, but still with as much passion as he always had for her. Then, he was interrupted by a cough and Lorelai pulled away in shock as she tasted blood in it.

 _Blood in his lungs... he’s... dying..._ She stopped using the staff and broke down crying.

“You... you can’t leave me, Jesse... I don’t know what I would do without you... I need you...!” She sobbed, hugging him tightly. He pulled her out of the hug and ran his hand along her face, tears welling up in his eyes as he stared at her, trying to memorise every single inch of her face; every freckle, every scar, the shape of her lips, the exact colour of her eyes, the form of her face. It was sacred to him. He had never believed in a God or anything of the sort, but he believed in her. Over the last month, he had come to realise that she was his everything; his beginning and his end, his reason to keep pushing forward, and his heart and soul.

“You can do this... I know it,” he rasped as tears spilled onto his cheeks. “I want you to do this for me. Keep going... and have the best life... live it for both of us...” He coughed again, tilting his head to the side and frowned at the large specks of scarlet blood that came out of him.

 _If only I had more time... Maybe I can tell her..._ He could feel his body weakening. His lungs were closing up as the fluid filled them and his body was shutting down.

“I was... a fool for not... realising it sooner but... darlin’ you’re... everythin’ to me... I... Lorelai... I love... you.” He told her.

Lorelai smiled at him through her tears and ran a hand along her face.

“McCree...” She murmured softly, holding his gaze.

“McCree, I—” She stopped as his gaze went sideways, and the light left his eyes.

“McCree...!” She cried out, but the cowboy was long gone; he was in death’s embrace. Lorelai let out a cry of anguish and threw the healing staff as hard as she could against the nearby wall. It bounced off with a clanging noise and hit the ground.

“You said I could do it, but I couldn’t! Why... why would you fill my head with lies?! Why?!” She yelled loudly at the non-existent Dr. Ziegler.

She stroked McCree’s face gingerly.

“Now, you’ll never know... I never got to tell you...” She lamented, pressing her forehead to his as tears ran down her face.

Then, her eyes flashed open and she rushed over to the staff and then back to McCree, looking back and forth between his body and the staff in her hands.

 _Angela brought back Genji somehow with this suit, so maybe I can do the same to him...!_ She focused hard and held the staff in both hands, but the real power came bursting forth from her wings, spreading through her body and flowing into her left hand. She could feel the suit searching for something inside of McCree. Then, she realised that it was searching for his soul.

Her eyes burned with energy and she knew she had it. Lorelai raised her left hand up, her palm to the sky, drawing McCree’s soul in and up. His body glowed brightly with the same golden colour that was around Lorelai, and then he was raised off of the ground and lifted up into a standing position. Then, he took his first breath in since his death and staggered backwards, coughing up the last bit of blood that had been in his lungs. He then stood up straight and looked around frantically.

When his eyes rested upon Lorelai, they teared up and he rushed into her, hugging her tightly and kissing her fervently.

“I... I love you too, Jesse!” Lorelai declared, sobbing loudly.

“I know you do, Pumpkin. I know you do,” he murmured softly into her hair as he pulled her close and held her tightly.


End file.
